


Arms Open

by cool_nick_miller



Category: New Girl
Genre: Angst, Budding Love, Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Nick Miller - Freeform, Pining, jessica day - Freeform, pre ness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2019-12-18 13:02:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18250382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cool_nick_miller/pseuds/cool_nick_miller
Summary: Nick *nearly* kissed Jess after True American, but was interrupted. Jess ends things with Sam but meets a new guy before Nick can do anything about it. Still trying to deal with his feelings for her, she finds herself leaning on him when the new guy is not what he seems...*I do not own anything related to New Girl*





	1. Chapter 1

ARMS OPEN: CH 1

_Jess tapped her pen against the desk absent-mindedly, the stack of papers she was grading pushed to one side as she struggled to concentrate, eyes staring in to the distance at nothing in particular through the window on her right. The clock was ticking loudly above her head, almost taunting her with the fact that she was still there marking tests way after hours, but she didn't really mind. Jess liked the peace and quiet of the school once the day had ended, and it meant she didn't have to go back to the loft just yet, because Lord knows the atmosphere there was still a bit strange. Her mind was drifting aimlessly as she looked at the clouds floating past in the fading light outside, and she ended up thinking about the same thing she had done for days: Nick._

_To be more specific: Nick and the change he had caused in her life since the night he almost kissed her. The night that a game of True American took a turn that could have gone a very different way, but somehow didn't..._

...

...

_'God, Miller! Just kiss me already!'_

_'No! Not like this...'_

She'd thought they were nothing more than just good friends, so was caught off guard a little by his words. Something in his voice had given him away at that moment. He'd tried to backtrack when she pressed him on what he meant, but Jess could tell. Nick being Nick had freaked out and run away from her before she could try and get him to explain.

It was only meant to be a stupid dare. One kiss behind the iron curtain, then go back to life as normal. But that moment - that tiny flash in his eyes which belied his protestations of  _'I didn't mean...nothing, it's just...we can't, like that...'_  - it didn't escape her. There was always something between them that she couldn't quite put her finger on. So Jess wasn't totally surprised when they ended up stood alone in the hallway between their rooms later that night. Sam was sleeping, and it had once again been Nick she instinctively called for when she thought danger was nearby as she heard those creepy scratching noises return. Relieved to find it was just their neighbour's dog, but a little bummed out at having to return his beloved trench coat, he had walked her back to her room. The ever reliable Miller. But she never expected anything less - Nick was her go-to guy. Her safety blanket. He made everything OK.

_'Goodnight, Nick'_

_'Goodnight'_

She had turned to leave, but felt his grasp on her arm turn her around, only to let go again immediately after, as if touching her had given him an electric shock. His face was so close to hers that she could see his pupils were dilated enough to turn his eyes almost black. There was something burning deep within them that seemed to straddle lust and fear. They stared at one another, frozen like statues, both equally shocked at his action of stopping her from going. Jess tried to swallow but her mouth had gone dry. Nick looked like he was holding his breath, desperate to reach for her but unable to make a move. His eyes darted to her lips and she was so sure he was going to kiss her. So sure.

At the sound of her door opening, she shot back away from him, head snapping round towards the noise. The appearance of Dr Sam from the darkness of her room made her eyes widen in panic, although she tried her best to hide it by plastering a smile across her face.

"Hey! Sam!"

"Hey, Jess..." he croaked in a sleepy voice, yawning loudly and stretching a long arm out towards her "...are you coming back to bed?"

"Uh, yeah...yes...I'll be riiiiight there!" Jess sang before she turned around to face Nick again, finding an empty hall where he had slipped away to his own room out of view while her back was turned. She stared at his closed door for a moment, blinking slowly, but choosing to decide she must have misread his intentions.

...

Sam rolled over to face Jess as the morning sunlight streamed in through her window and lit the room. She groaned a little and covered her eyes from the brightness. Moving her hand away and laughing, he smiled at her with a dopey look on his face, then reached across to fist bump her just like every morning they woke up together. Jess forced a little chuckle from her throat and obliged him, even though she felt a small part of her die inside every single time he did it. He grabbed his phone from the bedside table and flopped back down next to her.

"Sweet. Ten e-mails!"

He went for a high five and Jess had to suppress a grimace as she allowed him to slap her palm, full of enthusiasm.

"Oh, cool - my buddy has sent me pics of this gnarly surgery he did the other day, wanna see?"

"Eww, no! Sam, its first thing in the morning!"

She was mildly irritated by the way he insisted on talking like some kind of teenage surfer-dude, but assumed it was just tiredness making her grouchy - her sleep had been fitful last night, to say the least. Laying her head back on the pillow, Jess sighed to herself as he shrugged and giggled like a school boy while scrolling through the images. She liked Sam, she really did - but despite him being a straight up doctor of medicine with a serious job saving kids, sometimes their differences in maturity in other aspects of life were glaringly obvious. Doubts about their relationship had been starting to creep their way in to her mind slowly over the past couple of weeks but she had always swatted them away like some kind of annoying fly. Those feelings had resurfaced this morning in full force, and a small part of her wondered how much of that had to do with Nick and the events of last night. With the evening replaying on a loop in her mind no matter how hard she tried to shut it out, Jess left Sam to his phone, slid out of the covers and padded quickly down the hall to escape into the shower, hoping the cool jets of water beating down upon her scalp might help to blast the unwelcome thoughts away for a while.

...

Waking with a start, Nick squinted against the harsh glare of the lamp next to his bed and realised he'd forgotten to turn it off last night. His mind was elsewhere, and it had been really late by the time he'd finally managed to stop thinking about Jess long enough for sleep to pull him under into it's sweet embrace. Covering his face with both hands, he rolled over and buried his head into a pillow, groaning loudly in frustration. He wasn't sure what he was more annoyed at himself for -  _not_  kissing Jess during the game, or  _almost_  kissing her in the hallway. Pushing himself up on his forearms, Nick flung his legs over the side of the bed and stretched his arms above his head, feeling a satisfying crack in his spine. He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and sighed. How drunk had he been last night? Could he use that as a good enough excuse? No...no, he was pretty damn sober after Jess had called him to help when she heard those noises at the door. Which makes what he nearly did even worse.

_'What were you thinking? She has a boyfriend! A tall, handsome, successful, boyfriend...'_

Nick pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes, cursing himself in resignation. There was no one to blame here but himself. He had been so overcome with his own selfish desire to touch her, his want to kiss her, his need to hold her tight against him, that for a split second he completely forgot himself. He couldn't get the sight of her in that moment out of his mind. The look in her eyes journeyed from confusion to worry to...acceptance? Intrigue? Stupid Sam and his impeccable timing had ruined any chance Nick had of actually finding out - so, for the second time that night, he ran away from her. He'd slumped against the inside of his closed bedroom door for quite a while afterwards, trying to decide if what he'd almost done was brave or stupid. Who was he kidding, Nick Miller couldn't get away with big, spontaneous moments like that. Story of his life.

What he did know was that, right now, he couldn't stand to be in the loft. He was getting tense just at the thought of bumping in to Jess again. What if she had questions? No, it was too much. He had to get out. Go for a walk and get some air, clear his head. Throwing on a clean shirt, Nick slipped his feet into the nearest pair of shoes he could find and rushed out of his bedroom, only to be greeted with Sam opening Jess's bedroom door at the exact same moment.

_There's that perfect timing coming in to play again._

"Hey, Nick, what's up?"

He nodded at the Doctor and stuffed his hands awkwardly in his pockets. He didn't want his desperation to leave to be too obvious.

"Hey, Sam...good sleep?" He cringed at his inability to say anything else. God, he needed to get out - now.

"Yeah, yeah. Jess's mattress is super comfy. And, hey, it's hard not to sleep well with a beauty like her curled up next to me, you know?"

Nick forced a strangled laugh out and raised his brow. Of course he didn't know, and he was getting the impression that he never would.

"Oh, look. You gotta see these shots of the surgery my buddy just did, it's so rad" Sam shoved his phone screen towards Nick's face and laughed as he recoiled in horror.

"Yeah, that's...uh, that's totally gross"

"Great, huh!"

"Sure. I, uh, don't mean to be rude...but, I gotta get going. I have to meet a friend, so..."

"Cool. Think Jess and I are headed off soon anyway...some Indian Marriage thing she needs to go to. Are you and the guys going?"

Nick screwed up his face at the suggestion. He knew full well that Schmidt was attending with Winston, but Cece and Jess weren't allowed to find that out. They'd tried to convince him to go too last night, but his answer had remained a solid  _'Pass!'_

"God no, are you kidding? Having my career and life choices used by members of the opposite sex as reasons NOT to date me? No thanks..."

"I hear you, bro - not exactly my first choice for a date. Alright, well...I guess I'll see ya around. See how this thing pans out I guess. What's the worst that could happen, right?"

"Right..." Nick gave a nod and hurried towards the door, closing it behind him just as Jess exited from the shower.

...

Nick's day had mostly been spent at the park. No one could calm down a panicking Nick Miller and help him put things in perspective like his buddy Tran. He turned up for his evening shift at the bar later feeling positively chilled out. No tension, no residual anger, no regret. Clear conscience. It felt good.

He returned to the loft after closing up and entered quietly, hoping he would be the only one awake. Seeing the light coming from the direction of the kitchen, he immediately knew that was not the case. Nick was planning on slipping away to his room discreetly, not wanting to bother anyone and equally not wanting to sour the inner peace he was currently rocking. He stood out of view for a moment and heard the angry banging of plates and cupboards. Someone was home and clearly not in a good mood - all the more reason to tiptoe away unnoticed.

But then he heard something else. The distinctive clinking of a wine glass on the counter top.

Jess.

It was Jess. In the kitchen.

It took Nick a good twenty seconds and several deep breaths to work up the courage to turn the corner and step out of the darkness towards her, but he had decided to seize upon the zen mood he was in and wanted to check she was ok. The thought of going to bed and leaving her out there in a bad mood with no one to talk to just didn't sit right with him. He might have been a shitty friend last night, but maybe this was his chance to redeem himself and do some good.

He stood a few feet away from her, having not yet been noticed. Her hair was half scraped back, half hanging loose and she had that flushed tint to her cheeks that she got whenever she was upset but trying to hide it. There was an almost empty bottle of wine to her right and most of a loaf of bread to her left. He smiled and allowed himself a second to watch her before clearing his throat gently so as not to startle her too much. She looked up over her glasses but didn't say a word, merely gave a small nod and smile in return.

"What are ya doin' with all that bread, Day?"

"We're out of waffles..."

"Are you eating  _toast_  whilst drinking wine?!"

She nodded her head with her mouth full and slipped her glasses further up her nose defiantly.

"Oh my god, Jess. That is truly disgusting!"

Chewing and swallowing with purpose, she placed a hand on her hip while the other waved wildly towards the spot where he stood, mouth aghast.

"Sure, right! Coming from the guy who drinks beer with his breakfast cereal. Whatever, man. I'm sad, and angry, and hungry...I'm...I'm  _Sangry_." She pouted, and Nick had to try hard not to laugh at her as she continued "...it's not a good mix, I'm really not having a great time right now, so I don't wanna hear another peep out of your mouth, you hear me?"

Nick frowned and leaned back against the dining room table with his arms folded. Against his better judgment, he asked "OK, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Jess replied with a glum expression, trying not to spray crumbs everywhere.

"You never get like this unless something is really bothering you - so, let's have it..."

Resting her hands on the counter, she reached for her glass and downed the last few mouthfuls of wine within, before silently grabbing the bottle and re-filling it to the brim. Nick raised an eyebrow -  _this wasn't going to be good_. Seeming to consider whether to answer his question honestly, she exhaled loudly and grunted. Looking him in the eyes, Jess spoke in a very matter-of-fact tone "I broke up with Sam..."

Nick's heart beat faster against his ribcage at her admission and he stood quickly from his resting spot, clearing his throat before he spoke "You...uh, you what?"

"I broke up with Sam, OK!" She said, louder and visibly irritated "...and, really - if you think about it...all of this is  _your_  fault, Miller, so I'd rather you just kept your judgement about my 'eating-toast-while-drinking-wine' to yourself."

"Wait, hold up a second." Nick stepped closer to the kitchen island, hands raised in protest "How is  _you_  breaking up with  _Sam_  MY fault?"

Her voice came back at him, stuttering and high-pitched "Because... _because_ , if you hadn't been so...so..."

"So  _what_?"

"So damn... _weird_  last night, I never would have gone to that stupid Indian Marriage Convention with him and had our incompatibility shoved in my face!"

"Weird? I wasn't being weird, what are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Nick, ok." She narrowed her eyes and pointed the butter knife in his direction "Last night. In the hall. I went to walk away and you stopped me..."

"Oh, that?" He scoffed, trying to sound nonchalant "c'mon Jess, that was so much of a non-event I can't believe you're actually bringing it up!"

"Why did you grab me?" She asked suddenly, with her head cocked to one side and her eyes narrowed in that accusatory way he didn't like because it made him nervous. He could feel the calmness seeping from his pores and being replaced by crippling anxiety with every short breath he was taking.

"Why did I...? Grab you...? I...I barely even remember doing it!" Nick lied, the beads of sweat starting to gather at the small of his back. She knew, she must do. Why else would she be asking him to explain his actions "It was just... _instinctual_ , I guess...to check you were ok...uh, after your scare, y'know, with the scratching noises..." He trailed off, knowing she must be able to see right through him and swallowed hard.

"Why were you " _instinctually"_  grabbing me?"

He ran one hand down his face and felt his breathing quicken. He was starting to panic.

"I don't know, Jessica! I do a lot of things instinctually, they don't always have reasoning behind them! Sometimes, when I'm walking across the street with Schmidt, I'll  **instinctively**  put my hand on his back and guide him across the road - why do I do it? Who knows?! It doesn't mean anything!"

Nick's arms were flying about as he tried to convince her. He was talking fast and knew he was starting to ramble. Thankfully, Jess cut him off abruptly.

"OK, if you say so - but it wasn't just the grabbing I'm talking about, Nick..."

He screwed his face up at her words and she took that as her cue to continue

"...there was also something in your face."

He rolled his eyes heavenwards and threw his arms in the air, scoffing loudly.

"Oh, for the love of God, woman - do  _not_  start with that again! Stop analysing my damn face!"

"But..."

Nick was desperate for her to stop probing, his fight or flight response was about to kick in and everyone knew his only move was to split when things got awkward - but even he was aware running away from Jess three times in 24hrs would look highly suspicious. He had to try something different.

"Enough, Jess!" He snapped, shocking her into silence "Look, I'm sorry you and Sam broke up but stop trying to make this about me. I know I'm usually to blame for a lot of stuff around here, but you can't pin this one on me. It's not my fault you have terrible taste in men!"

He regretted the words the instant they flew from his mouth. Seeing her visibly wince at them was like a sucker punch to his gut and he wished desperately that he could take them back. Her mouth snapped closed and she gave a small nod of her head, eyes dropping from his and down to the counter. Letting the butter knife fall with a loud clang on to the crockery, and shoving her plate to one side with force, Jess picked up her glass of wine and went to walk away from the kitchen, and him. Her eyes were glistening with the tears she was forcing back by sheer determination and she pushed his arm away as he reached towards her, pleading with a soft voice "Jess, wait, I'm sorry - I didn't mean_"

"No, Nick. You know what? You're right. I DO have terrible taste in men..."

Her voice was small and full of sadness as she turned quickly away from him and rushed towards the hall. The door of her bedroom closed with a soft click and Nick cursed himself for being such an ass.  _'Well done, Miller. Sterling example of how to act like a dick...'_

He closed his eyes and let his head fall back towards the ceiling with a grunt. Exhaling heavily, he walked to the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. He took several large gulps in a row, then looked at the counter behind him. Placing his bottle down, Nick tidied up the mess Jess had made, until there was no trace she had been there, or of what had just happened. If Schmidt woke up to a crumb strewn kitchen surface in the morning there would be hell to pay for the culprit, and sparing Jess that tongue lashing was the very least he could do at the moment. Returning the cleaned plate and knife to their rightful homes, he trudged back towards his room and paused momentarily outside her door  _'You really fucked up this time...'_  he heard the voice in his head taunt. Chewing on his bottom lip, Nick took another mouthful from his beer and walked into his bedroom without looking back.

...


	2. Chapter 2

ARMS OPEN: CH 2

_Nick had been staring at the same spot on the wood of the bar for the past five minutes, turning the glass in his hands over and over whilst rubbing it with a cloth. It had been dry long ago, but still he wiped the material around the rim of the glass as his mind meandered off to somewhere far from where he currently stood. The dim lights matched his mood and he was grateful for the background melody of the chat, clinking glasses, and music that filled the room. Anything to drown out his own painful thoughts. He'd taken all the extra shifts he could get at the bar since the Tinfinity party, purely on the basis that it gave him somewhere to be other than the loft. He knew the current situation was of his own making. He knew that by letting his fears get the better of him, he had enabled Jess to slip right through his fingers, out of reach, and into the arms of someone else. That thought stuck in his throat like a foreign object and was too bitter to swallow. So he did the only thing he knew how to do well - he escaped. Whenever and however he could. Into the shower, his room, the roof, the park, the bar, the bottom of a bottle of whiskey - anywhere that meant he could limit the time spent seeing and hearing how happy Jess currently was in the arms of someone that wasn't him..._

...

...

_"This month marks Nick and my ten year anniversary of living together. Our "tin" anniversary."_

_"Did you know that the chemical symbol for tin is SN? Schmidt and Nick!"_

_"That's it, our theme is TinFinity."_

Schmidt had gathered them all together in the living area to make his big announcement before he excitedly scurried off, laptop under arm, to start planning for the _'party of the year - actually, scratch that! Party of the century, bitches!'_. He explicitly told the others he was not to be bothered unless Cece had finally come to her senses and turned up to declare her love for him, or Calvin Klein had announced a sale on their corduroy dress trousers. Winston was almost as eager to leave the apartment, but that had more to do with the text he had just received from Daisy than it did with anything pertaining to the party. Since the night of the 'YUM' pants debacle, he now constantly carried a condom inside his sock for emergency situations.  _'I'm like a damn Boy Scout! Always prepared!'_

Jess walked slowly around the couch after their departure, quietly lowering herself down in the seat next to Nick. Far enough away that they weren't touching, but close enough that it was obvious she was no longer mad enough about the other week to continue ignoring him. After that night in the kitchen, he deliberately kept his distance - mindful that his words had been regrettably sharp and hurtful. Their paths hadn't crossed much for the first week. She had been staying later at the school she was subbing at, returning to the loft only after he had already left for his shifts at the bar. Whilst avoiding each other had worked for them both at first, it wasn't a long term solution, nor did they want it to be. They'd settled in to a strange half-way house mode whereby they would exchange pleasantries on passing, but all conversation was kept to small talk, acutely aware - and steering clear - of the elephant in the room. 'So, how 'bout that weather today, huh?' or 'Phew! Traffic was a nightmare this afternoon' was about as friendly as they had been for the past fortnight. And it was weird.

Until now.

Now, she had sat next to him willingly and even thrown half of her blanket towards him as she pulled it down from the back of the couch and across her legs. Nick stilled mid-swig of his beer and tentatively accepted the tartan material with his right hand, laying it loosely on his knees even though he had zero need for it.

"Thanks..." He mumbled.

Nick was half expecting her to slap his hand away when she realised he had hold of it but instead, Jess picked up her mug of tea from the coffee table, cupped it in both hands and held it close to her mouth as she settled back against the cushions.

"You're welcome." she replied after a slight pause, gulping a mouthful of warm tea and swallowing it slowly, allowing the comforting heat to spread down her body.

She was 'pulling a Nick' and acting like everything was normal - as if nothing had happened. Frankly, he found it slightly unnerving, but at least this way she was speaking to him again and he didn't feel the need to hide in his room anymore. As a return 'olive branch' gesture, Nick placed the remote down on the couch between them and left it there, returning his hand to his beer and taking a long sip whilst giving Jess a sidelong glance, grinning into his bottle as he saw the fingers of her left hand slowly creep their way from under the blanket to wrap themselves around the control and settle it back into her lap. They sat in silence for the next five minutes as Jess flicked aimlessly through trash TV channels before finally settling on an episode of 'Say Yes to the Dress'. The bride was a doctor called Samantha and her fiancé was a tall, handsome teacher named Jesse. Nick spluttered a little on his drink as he tried not to laugh.

"Shut up..." She demanded.

"Shutting up, starting...now." He smirked, aware of the small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth no matter how hard she tried to suppress it. The irony was not lost on her, of course.

Nick allowed himself to sink back into the couch and enjoy sitting her company again. No need for deep conversation or apologies - just a familiar, comfortable silence. Perhaps he hadn't messed things up quite as much as he thought.

...

_"You also got tablecloths? I feel so fancy!"_

Nick glanced around admirably - he had to hand it to Schmidt, this really did look great. The guy sure had a knack for event planning. Every little detail had been attended to, and despite his reservations at a party being thrown to celebrate the fact they had lived together for a decade, he actually felt pretty touched that his friend cared so much about it.

"Only the best night for  _my_  best knight!" Schmidt declared theatrically, frowning at the turtle face Nick pulled in response. He moved closer, laying an arm lovingly around Nick's shoulders and squeezed tightly "Nicholas, this is a momentous occasion in both our lives. We owe it all the pomp and ceremony that it deserves...that  _we_  deserve. For we truly have created a glorious partnership worthy of celebration. Two souls, merged in friendship for ten whole years!"

"Okay, this is getting a little intense, man." Nick slid sideways out of his grip and smoothed down his shirt. "Can you maybe just tone it down a little tonight, Schmidt. I don't want people thinking we're together or something. They talk enough as it is..."

"Oh, please. You are not my type. I've told you before - even Winston is more appealing to me than you, Nick."

" _Winston_?! I'm more of a catch than  _Winston_  - he doesn't even have any game! You'd be lucky to have a guy like me!"

At the sound of someone clearing their throat loudly, both men span around to see Jess stood with eyebrows raised. "Are you guys arguing over who Schmidt would date again?"

"No!_"

"Yes!_"

With a sigh, she stepped forward and shook her head "We've been through this, Nick: Schmidt would choose Winston because of his sensitive nature and caring side. He could be confident that Winston would look after him should he become old and infirm."

"Thank you, Jessica. See, Nick - I need a guy in touch with his feelings, and we all know you're still incapable of talking about your emotions. You're a little stunted in that area, but it's not your fault. We still have some real work to do there..."

"Mmmhmm" Jess agreed, nodding her head and staring at him pointedly.

"Hey, I can talk about my feelings when I need to, okay?" He retorted "Why has this suddenly turned into a 'pick on Nick Miller' session? Can we change the subject, please?"

"Actually, I did come here for a specific purpose" Jess admitted, looking at Schmidt "I just wanted to give you the heads up that my guests will be arriving in a half hour - so if you can make sure they're on the list that'd be super cool. Okay, thanks, bye!"

"Hey! Hold it right there Jessica Day! What do you mean 'your' guests?!" Schmidt's hands were on his hips and Jess could see Nick grimacing behind him.

"The three teachers I invited from work..."

"Teachers? From your...? Uh...Jess?"

He coughed and ran a hand across his brow, suddenly damp with perspiration. Schmidt fixed her with a wild eyed stare.  _Uh-oh._

"What were you  _thinking_?! If I'd wanted frumpy, middle-aged guests resembling Mrs Doubtfire at my party, I would have just invited my Great-Aunt Edna!" He turned dramatically to his left and held aloft the silver edged display board "Oh hello, dear seating plan that took me 37 painstaking hours to prepare - may as well just throw you out, seeing as  _Jessica Damn Day_ has gone rogue!"

"Oh, come on Schmidt. It's not that big of a deal, it's only four more people!"

"It's  _four_ , now?" He tugged at the collar of his shirt and paced up and down a few times.

"Well, Helen asked if she could bring her brother along as he's new in town - it seemed rude to say no..."

"Oh, that's funny...because to me it's rude inviting more guests to a party without asking for permission from the hosts!"

"But Nick said it wasn't a problem!"

Schmidt turned immediately to regard his friend, his face clearly displaying the fact he was waiting for a good explanation. And fast.

"Woah - Hang on!" Nick waggled his finger and took a step backwards "I said it wasn't a problem for  _me_  - I didn't know she wasn't gonna run it past you too! I am not to blame for this, nuh-uh, no way José!"

Jess rolled her eyes at Nick and turned her attention back to Schmidt. Placing a hand either side of his arms she pleaded to his better nature "Please? I'm sorry to spring it on you at the last minute..." Jess threw a scowl towards Nick "...but I really want to make some friends at this school. If the subbing goes well, it could be a permanent position. This is a chance for me to make some connections! Please? We can scoot some tables around to fit them in, I'm sure. And then...I'll owe you one!"

Schmidt looked up with a pout "Can you make sure Cece comes tonight too?"

"I'm sure I could fix that. So, do we have a deal?"

"Fine..." He sulked, before declaring he needed to be left alone with his seating plan and a Sharpie for 20 minutes.

Jess turned around to look at Nick and laughed when he shook his head at her.

"What?"

"Well, thanks for throwing me under the bus there, Day! He's gonna hold that against me for weeks."

"I thought you would have told him - you're joint host for crying out loud, Miller!"

Nick scoffed "Joint host? Let's be real, the only thing I was entrusted with was the damn porta potty. Although I do believe I aced that because you, my friend, are now looking at a small business owner!"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I bought it, the porta potty...I can rent it out for other parties, corporate functions, bar mitzvahs et cetera...use it to bring in funds for my next venture! You wanna see?"

He looked so proud, Jess couldn't bring herself to say no. Smiling warmly, she simply nodded and felt her grin spread wider as his face lit up like a little boy on Christmas morning. Nick stepped forward until he was right up close to her face. Jess's breath caught a little in her lungs as he placed his arms on her shoulders and quickly span her around, bringing her backwards so his chest was suddenly pressed up behind her. His hands rested over her eyes and she let out a nervous laugh.

"Nick! What are you doing? You're going to make me fall over, I can't see!"

Dipping his head to her ear, Jess felt goosebumps ripple down her neck as his warm breath landed on her skin.

"I want the reveal to be a surprise..." He whispered.

There was a brief pause and he shifted against her ever so slightly, closing the small gap between their bodies so her back was flush against his ribcage "...do you trust me, Jessica?"

He was sure she must have been able to feel his heart pounding hard in his chest in those few seconds it took for her answer to come back.

"Yes, Nick. I trust you..."

"Alright, well then let's go..."

...

Jess had just stepped away from the porta potties and left Nick trying to persuade the guests to use his monstrosity. Taking a seat at the bar just across from him and waiting for her pink wine, her gaze drifted over to Nick repeatedly and she chuckled as he accosted potential toilet users as they passed by. She found herself watching him for a while and smiling. He was the most frustrating person she knew, but Jess was honestly so glad they had gotten past that awkward night. She'd missed him, and their chats on the couch when the other guys had gone to bed. Her mind kept going back to the shivery feeling that washed over her when his breath had landed on her neck.  _What was that?_

A tap on the shoulder broke her concentration.

"Jess?"

"Helen! Welcome - I'm so glad you made it, where are the others?"

"Oh, they were just behind me, I think they were trying to find the restrooms - here they are now!"

Helen pointed behind Jess and she turned on her heel with a smile fixed on her face to greet Sally and Louise...but, oh my...she was not prepared for the sight of a six-foot tall Adonis with hair as yellow as the sun standing just a few steps behind them. The way Helen had spoken about her brother, Jess assumed he was the nerdy, bookish type. As they approached, she noted how well he was dressed and that he clearly worked out, what with the way his biceps strained at the material of his freshly pressed shirt.

"You know the ladies, obviously, and  _this_  is my brother Logan."

Now that he was stood in front of her, she could do nothing to stop her jaw from falling slightly open. His eyes were green and totally mesmerising. Jess stared at the big, manly hand that was stretched out towards her and giggled like a little girl as she gently shook it, nearly fainting when he cupped his other hand over the top of hers.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms Day. I've heard a lot about you!"

"You look like a cat..." Jess's eyes went wide with horror as she realised she had spoken those words out loud and not just thought them in her head "...oh my god! I mean your eyes...not that you have eyes like a cat but they're so green they reminded me of a cat...you know?"

Scrunching her face up and blushing profusely, she realised she was still stood shaking his hand. Pulling her arm back and allowing his to drop to his sides, Jess cleared her throat "I'm sorry, let me start over. Hi Logan, it's nice to meet you..."

He smiled broadly at her, revealing a set of perfectly straight, white teeth. Nodding his head, she bit her bottom lip and felt the heat of embarrassment emanate from her body.  _Way to play it cool, Day._

"Okay, ladies...Logan...allow me to show you round!" She extended an arm in front of her and the three ladies walked ahead towards the seating area and the dance floor. Logan hung back slightly to walk next to Jess. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach at the unexpected sensation of his hand right next to the small of her back. Not touching, but hovering just slightly away from her body.

"After you, Ms Day." He beamed, eyes not leaving her face.

...

Standing next to his porta potty, Nick had a perfect view of the bar where Jess had taken a seat. He could see her legs swinging back and forth on the stool as she waited for her drink. He was barely able to take his eyes away from her hands and the way they tapped a little musical beat out on the counter. Nick was pretty sure Jess didn't realise she did that so much, nor the strange affect it had on his insides. It was something so innocuous, but it always made his heart swell to watch her doing it.

His attention was drawn away by the possible 'customers' approaching to his right. A couple of older ladies and some guy who was clearly way too into himself. Must be someone Schmidt knew. They looked like they would have a mutual interest in hair chutney.

"Hey, guys!" Nick waved and tried to look as welcoming as possible "Anyone happening to need the bathroom, look no further - I offer you the premium experience of the 'Miller Portable Restroom'"

'Too-into-himself Guy' turned to look at Nick in clear distain. Waving the ladies a step ahead of him, he lowered his voice "You're kidding, right? You want people to take a whizz in that piece of garbage? Take my advice, buddy - get a new day job! Actually, I work in recruitment. I can give you my card_"

"I'm good, thanks." Nick replied curtly, turning his back and directing his sales patter towards a group of younger guys that looked more forthcoming. One of the five men finally took pity on him and braved the 'Miller Portable Restroom', much to Nick's delight.

Eager to share news of his first official customer, he looked back towards the bar for Jess. His heart sank in his chest and he stopped still as he saw her being introduced to the idiot he had just been speaking to. They must be the guests she was talking about earlier. The people she would no doubt be spending the majority of her night with. The blonde guy was reaching for Jess's hand and her reaction was like a sledgehammer to his gut. She had turned into a giggling, flustered mess. Jess didn't act that way unless she was clearly attracted to someone. Nick was a little surprised, he didn't think over-styled douche bags were her type. As she went to escort them around, he saw this guy purposefully wait for Jess. Saw him reach his arm to her back, saw the way Jess blushed...and Nick felt like he couldn't breathe.

It was just like the time he fell off a wall when he was 12 and had the wind knocked right out of his body.

...


	3. Chapter 3

ARMS OPEN: CH 3

 

Swinging open his bedroom door and heading to the bathroom, Nick spluttered as Jess emerged in a cloud of perfume and hairspray.

"Oh my god, what the hell did you do in here? I can barely breathe!"

"Yet you manage to deal with the aroma of your bedroom 365 days of the year. Go figure..." She shot back at him, hugging her pink robe across her chest and skipping off down the hall to her room to finish getting ready, leaving him stood shaking his head and grunting in frustration. Jess had been a ball of pent up, nervous energy all day: getting up at 5am and making the guys massive stacks of pancakes (well, maybe that one he couldn't complain about), tidying the whole apartment from top to bottom (alright, perhaps that had its plus points) and making them all sit through a movie marathon with her (fine, okay...he liked that too. Especially when Winston made them all scoot closer together so he could put his feet up, meaning Nick's arm was pressed against her bare legs. He hardly took in the film, but who cares?), all just to keep her mind busy and away from obsessing over her impending date with Logan later that evening.

_Eurgh_.

Nick audibly groaned at the thought then strode into bathroom with purpose, flinging the shower curtain back as hard as he could and stepping into the cubicle. Reaching up, he turned the jets to full power and let the hot stream of water cascade over him as he closed his eyes. Leaning forward, he placed both hands against the wall, exhaling deeply as the shower beat across his shoulders and ran down his back. Nick was desperately trying to clear his mind of any thoughts involving Jess and  _that guy_. Trying to wash away the knot in his stomach that surfaced when he spent too much time thinking about what might have happened if he had just kissed her when he had the chance. But, no. He'd missed the boat, she had met Logan and she hadn't stopped talking about him and their text conversations for the past fortnight. It was killing him inside but he had done well coping with it. Ignoring his feelings was a strategy he was getting used to doing more and more - hell, sometimes it was the  _only_  way he managed to get through (a trait he was actually thankful for inheriting from Walt)...but today - he just couldn't do it. He was stood there, showering in a room that smelt of nothing  _but_  Jessica Day. The strawberry shampoo she had used to wash her hair, the vanilla body lotion that had been smothered on her legs, the flowery perfume that hung in the air - he couldn't escape her.

_'You can do this, Miller. Same as every other hour of every other day. Lock it down, bury it deep, and throw away the key...'_

Nick gave himself a short, sharp slap on the cheeks before shutting the water off and grabbing his towel from the rail, running it over his hair and tucking it tightly around his waist as he stepped out on to the cool tiled floor. Droplets of water were pooling at his feet and he threw the next nearest towel down to soak it up.

"You know that's Schmidt's towel, right? Because he will come for your blood when he finds out..."

His head snapped up at the sound of her voice.

Jess was standing there - still dressed in her robe - with one hand leaning on the door frame, the other pointing at his feet. Her glasses were perched on her nose, eyebrows raised high in genuine concern for his wellbeing.

"He'll get over it..." Nick chuckled, waving his fingers dismissively "...I've done worse. Like, way worse. Once I used his face cloth to clean up after some 'Nick on Nick' time. Didn't speak to me for a whole week."

Her face screwed up in disgust and she stepped around him deliberately wide towards the sink. Nick rolled his eyes and pointed at her "What are you doing still in your robe, anyways? Don't you have a..." the words got stuck in his throat so he had to force them out "... _hot date_  to prepare for?"

Rooting around on the shelf in front of the mirror, Jess let out an excited squeal when she finally located the earring she was searching for "A-ha! I knew this little sucker had to be in here somewhere! And yes, I do...I just can't decide what to wear - he's turning up in thirty minutes. Thirty minutes, Nick! Half my wardrobe is on my floor, I've tried on everything I own but nothing feels right. What am I going to do?!"

Nick stared at her blankly. He wanted to say  _'Just cancel the stupid date!_ ' but opted for a shrug of his shoulders and what he hoped was a slightly sympathetic smile.

"Unless...I don't know...maybe, maybe you could help me chose an outfit?" Jess looked at him with a hopeful expression.

His eyes widened in horror at the suggestion and he shook his head, holding both palms up in an almost defensive stance.

"Me?! No, no...bad idea. What do I know about women's clothes? Is this not Cece territory? It feels like Cece territory to me..."

"Usually, yes. But she's out meeting Shivrang's Aunt and Uncle tonight so I can't bother her with this. Please, Nick? I have it narrowed down to two options! I wouldn't ask if I wasn't desperate..."

_Gee, thanks!_

"...I just want this date to go well and I'm freaking out about it enough already."

"Can't you just flip a coin or something?" He grumbled, feeling his resolve weaken as she clasped her hands together and bit down on the right hand side of her bottom lip. She mouthed the word 'Please' at him a final time and Jess saw his jaw clench momentarily before he finally caved in.

"Fine!...but I'm gonna just end up closing my eyes and pointing to one at random...so, whatever..." He shrugged and she did a silent victory celebration.

"Ok, go and get dressed then meet me in my room ASAP, because I have 27 minutes left before he turns up. Oh...and maybe I'll just keep  _this_  in my room from now on..." Jess grabbed her own face cloth and gave him a wary side-long glance before giggling and dashing out of the bathroom leaving him in her wake, standing there shaking his head like an idiot and wondering what on earth possessed him to agree to help choose the outfit Jess would be wearing to go on a date  _with someone else_.

"You're a damn idiot, Miller..." he sighed to himself, pinching his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath and walking to his room.

...

Nick had been stood outside her door for a full minute with his hand on the doorknob before finally pushing it open enough to peer through, eyes partially covered by his fingers just in case she was in some state of undress. His brows met in a frown and he stepped into her room, looking around and finding it empty.

"Jess?"

"I'm in the closet!" She replied in a muffled shout "Gimme a second, I'm just wrestling with the buttons on this thing."

He perched on the end of her bed and folded his arms. Nick crossed his legs, then uncrossed them again. He really didn't want to do this. Surely Schmidt would be better placed to help her choose an outfit - he spends  _far_  too much time on his appearance. Hell, he even has a portfolio of his suits, for god's sake. Nick just threw on whatever smelt clean. Actually, now that he thought about it...perhaps he should just go and get Schmidt - surely that would be best for everyone. Nick stood to leave but turned at the sound of her closet sliding open, revealing Jess wearing a floor length black dress with gold buttons up the side and a split in the fabric to just above her knee. He swallowed hard and stared at her, mouth slightly open. Giving his head a slight shake, he let his eyes drift up from her legs to meet her gaze.

"Well?" She asked shyly.

"Yeah, that looks...y'know...fine."

She screwed her face up in disappointment "Fine? That's not quite what I was going for."

"I mean good. You look...good." Nick corrected himself quickly and gave a thumbs up to illustrate "Sorry Jess, I told you I'm not the best person to ask about this." he shifted uncomfortably on his feet and rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand, stuffing the left one deep in his trouser pocket "Ok, I'll try and do better, show me the other one?"

Retreating back to the closet, Jess slid the door closed again. He could hear the rustling of fabric and hushed curses as she struggled to get the buttons undone. After a few moments her voice came from inside.

"Uh, Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"I need you to zipper me up..."

"What? Why?" He sounded more panicked than he'd meant to. As if he'd just been asked to fly a plane when the pilot fell ill. This was way out of his remit.

"I can't reach all the way around, it's too awkward. I'm just gonna walk out backwards, okay?"

Silence.

"Okay?" She called again.

Nick cleared his throat and screwed his eyes shut. This had been precisely the kind of situation he'd wanted to avoid.

"Okay, whatever..." He said reluctantly.

The door slid across and Nick opened his eyes slowly, immediately landing on the sight of Jess's bare shoulders backing up closer to where he stood. As she stopped right in front of his feet he took in the milky expanse of her back, perfectly smooth and interrupted only by the strap of her red bra just below the bust line. His breath left his lungs without warning and she felt it fall between her shoulder blades. Reaching down and grabbing her zipper, he quickly tugged it upwards to the neckline. Nick's hand paused at the top - just for a beat - but Jess could have sworn she felt him squeeze her shoulder ever so slightly before stepping away. As she turned around, he could finally see the dress properly. It was knee length and turquoise, making her eyes shine brighter than he had ever noticed before. Jess saw him inadvertently run his tongue across his bottom lip and it made her blush a little.

"Wow..." He breathed, feeling every part of his body longing to touch her. Prickling with the want to hold her against him and kiss her all the way back out of that damn perfect dress. She was looking up at him, her eyes holding his for a few seconds longer than normal before she smiled at his reaction. A small, barely there smile and - for a moment - Nick wondered if maybe she knew what had just crossed his mind.

"I think we have a winner..." She laughed softly.

"Well then, I guess my job here is done." Nick said, finally breaking their gaze and stepping back "I'll let you finish doing whatever it is you girls do before a date, with your shoe polish and what not..."

"Eyeshadow, Nick. It's eyeshadow!"

"All looks the same to me!" He called over his shoulder as he closed the door behind him and headed straight into the kitchen looking for a much needed beer.

...

With four minutes left until Logan's arrival, Jess finally emerged from her room and stood at the entrance of the living area. She'd pinned her hair up away from her face and was no longer wearing her glasses "How do I look?" She asked nervously, giving a little twirl.

Schmidt and Winston approached from their spot on the coach to assess her form. Taking a step backwards, tilting his head, and giving a low whistle of appreciation Winston promptly declared "I'd do you..."

"Aww, Winston - that's so sweet! Thank you!"

"How come when he says it, it's sweet - but when I say it, it's creepy?" Schmidt demanded whilst turning Jess around to get a 360 view, nodding his head in approval.

"It's all about the delivery, man! You just make it sound so...so..."

"Perverted?" Nick called from the kitchen.

"Yes! Perverted! Thanks, Nick." Winston held up his beer bottle in recognition.

"No problem, buddy."

"So Jessica, what is the low down on this guy? Is this potential boyfriend material we're looking at here or are you just hoping on merging for one delicious and dirty encounter?"

"Schmidt! You can't ask me that!"

"Why not? Just checking to see if I should wear my heavy duty earplugs tonight - unless you go back to his place of course...however if you  _are_  just going to be having casual sex with the guy, perhaps it should be on your own territory. At least that way you got your boys here if you need us to get rid the next morning should things go pear shaped. You know, if he's into the really kinky stuff or whatever. In fact, maybe you should have a safe word - use Kumquat. If we hear you yelling it, we'll come running!"

"For the love of God, Schmidt, would you just shut up already..." Nick had appeared by his side, caught between wanting to know how Jess was viewing this new suitor but really not wanting to hear her answer either way. She nodded at him in gratitude for silencing their roommate.

A sharp knock at the door made all four of them look up.

"Oh my god, he's here! He's here!" Jess hissed, flapping her hands in front of her frantically.

Winston strolled to the door and opened it as gracefully as he could, greeting Logan with a wide smile and showing him in. He was dressed in a full suit, hair slicked back and smelling like he had doused himself in an entire bottle of cologne. Standing in front of Jess, he grinned and reached for her hand, bringing it to his lips. Nick thought he was going to vomit and internally did the biggest eye roll of his life. He looked towards Jess, expecting to see her cringing at him over Logan's head but instead saw her giggling and doing a weird little curtsy, her cheeks displaying that flushed pink tinge again.

_'She can't seriously be into that crap?'_

"Logan, you remember the guys from their Tinfinity party right? That's Winston, Schmidt, and Nick"

He reached a hand out to shake with them all in turn, pausing when he got to Nick and pointing "Oh yeah, I remember you. The Porta Potty guy! How's that working out for you?"

"Working out just fine, thanks for asking. I have several enquiries to respond to since the party..." Nick replied with a forced, closed mouth smile, removing his hand swiftly.

_'What a jerk.'_

Logan turned his back to Nick and gestured for Jess to lead the way "We'd better get going, I made a reservation for 7:30 at Bella Vista."

"Bella Vista? The new place that everyone is just  _dying_  to get in to?!" Schmidt exclaimed, his voice an octave higher than usual.

"That's the one!"

"How did...how did you?" He cleared his throat "It's just, I've been trying to get a table there for a month!" his voice was a mixture of disappointment and awe.

Logan smiled and ran a hand over his blue silk tie "I know one of the chefs. I own a recruitment consultancy firm that the restaurant uses, networking has its plus points! Here, Schmidt is it?"

"It is indeed."

"Take my card. Next time you need a reservation, you call me - I'll make it happen."

"Well you, Sir, are a prince among men!"

"Don't mention it. Any friend of Jess's is a friend of mine. Shall we, Ms Day?"

"Yes, let's go! I'm super excited!" Jess skipped towards him.

Logan smiled across at her and Nick felt his stomach churn as he watched her walk out of the loft. Jess paused briefly as she turned to close the door, catching his eye and mouthing towards him " _Thank You!_ ". Nick raised his bottle and gave a nod as she disappeared from view. Downing the second half of his beer in one go, he decided one bottle was definitely not going to be enough in any way, shape or form.

Not tonight.

...

***A/N - Thanks for reading so far! I hope you like it, please do let me know! For the record: Yes, Logan is a dick and yes, you are meant to not like him!**


	4. Chapter 4

ARMS OPEN: CH 4

 

Winston stumbled down the hall bare foot and bleary eyed, shuffling slowly towards the urgent knocking coming from the direction of the front door. Looking around the apartment for other signs of life, he found all bedroom doors closed and the living room empty.

"What? Ain't nobody else at home but me? I know I can't be the first one up. Y'all are being some lazy ass people right about now!"

The knocking came back louder and faster, drawing his attention towards the loft entrance "Okay, alright! I'm coming, gimme a second..."

Swinging the door open, he was presented with a short, dark haired man in uniform holding a huge bunch of red roses. Winston frowned as they were unceremoniously thrust at him alongside a clipboard for his signature. "Sorry, what's this? We didn't order flowers, man. Especially not at..." He looked at his watch "...oh, damn! It's 9:30 already?!"

The delivery guy tutted loudly and tapped his pen on the board "Well I've been standing here waiting for 10 minutes for someone to open the door. I was given strict instructions not to leave until these were delivered for a...uh..." He checked his paperwork "...Ms Day?"

"Ooohhh! These are for Jess? Ha! The roses are for  _Jess!_  Alright, that makes more sense." Winston laughed and sniffed the flowers, signing for them before the short man snatched the clipboard back and muttered something about hating his life on the way back to the elevator.

Turning around and kicking the door closed behind him with one foot, he rolled his eyes as the knocking started up again.

"What  _now_?" he moaned, opening it once more and expecting to see the delivery man rubbing his fingers together for a tip. Instead, he found a flustered Cece with a frown on her face and stepped back as she hurried past him.

"Do you always welcome guests coming out of the elevator by slamming the door in their faces, Winston? Rude."

"Cece! Hey girl!"

At the mention of her name, Schmidt suddenly appeared from his room clad in his blue silk kimono, doing his best to act nonchalant with a nod of the head towards them both.

"Good morning, Winston...Greetings, Cecelia - so, to what do we owe the honour of your presence on this glorious day?"

"Just here to see Jess, as always..." Cece took hold of the bunch of flowers from Winston's grip "...I may as well take these beauties with me as I'm headed to her room anyways - I cannot  _wait_  to hear about her date last night!"

"Hey, Cece - how's your dalliance with the small Indian man going? Finally come to your senses about marrying him yet?" Schmidt called as he walked towards them.

"His name is  _Shivrang_ , for the hundredth time." She huffed, whilst being secretly pleased that her partnering with someone else was able to elicit such a response from him "We're good, don't you worry about me. You do you, boo." Cece turned on her heel and stepped quickly in the direction of Jess's bedroom.

"Ok, Cece. You keep telling yourself that, but know this! When you finally realise that you need a  _real_  man - which WILL eventually happen - you know where to find me!"

"Don't hold your breath, Schmidt." she replied, suppressing a small grin.

"I won't wait around forever!"

Winston laughed and gave his roommate a sympathetic pat on the shoulder "Dude, we ALL know that one's not true..."

...

Jess yawned loudly and rolled on to her back, hearing the animated voices from the outside her door and chuckling as she stretched her arms and legs out whilst still under the blanket. She lay looking at the ceiling, a smile spanning her face as memories of her date last night came flooding back. Her phone beeped and she pushed herself up to a sitting position, scooting back to lean against the pillows and reaching over to her nightstand. Seeing Logan's name on the screen, Jess jiggled her legs in excitement and swiped to read his message.

_"Morning Ms Day. Thank you for an amazing evening in your wonderful company. I hope it will be the first of many...L x"_

Squealing quietly to herself, Jess looked up as Cece entered her room without knocking. Closing the door behind her, she turned to face Jess with a huge grin then looked at the roses and lifted one brow "Date went well, I take it?! I'm assuming these are from the man himself?"

"Oh my gosh, they're so beautiful!" Jess sprang forward on to her knees and took the flowers, gazing at them and bringing them to her nose, taking in a deep breath of their delicate fragrance and closing her eyes. She felt like there should be birds flying in through her window, singing and chirping as she twirled on the spot in a flowing dress with the skirt fanning out around her.

"So. Tell me everything... _everything_..." Cece demanded, interrupting her daydream and flopping down on to the bed, crossing her legs and looking at Jess expectantly "...did you, y'know...sample his wears?"

"What? No! Cece, no...it wasn't like that!"

"Well what was it like?"

"It was...it was...romantic and dreamy and...and...like no date I've ever been on before!" Jess laughed and placed the flowers on her dresser before walking back to her bed and throwing herself down on her stomach, leaning on her elbows with hands under her chin like a teenager talking about her dreamy crush "Honestly, it was so great. He had a  _chauffeur_  drive us to the restaurant, then we were ushered inside past the queue of people like freakin' celebrities and given the best table in the place."

"Nice!"

"I ate the best damn meal of my life last night, Ceec, and then guess what?"

"What?!"

"The owner came out and told him  _not to pay...!_ That it was on the house as a thank you for all the work he'd done for them. Logan insisted, of course, because he's a gentleman and when the owner still refused, he whipped out his cheque book and donated $500 to their charity fundraiser for building an orphanage in Africa instead."

"Oh, damn..."

"I know! THEN, we went to the planetarium..."

"Huh?" Cece looked confused.

"...trust me, it gets better! So, we go to the planetarium and he does this secret little knock thing on the back door, it opens up because they're expecting us and inside is all set up with blankets and a picnic basket with strawberries and chocolate and all sorts - just for us. The whole damn planetarium!"

"So...did you...kiss under the fake stars or whatever?"

"Boy, did we!" Jess wiggled her eyebrows "Something about those kinda places makes me totally twirly! Plus we'd been drinking free champagne all evening at the restaurant and you know how those bubbles go to my head."

"So you  _did_  sample his wears! I knew it!" Cece pointed accusingly.

"No, I didn't. I mean I woulda...you've seen him, right? Mother, may I?! But...here's the thing Cece - we're getting hot and heavy and then he stopped me."

"What?!"

"Ya!  _He_  stopped  _me._  He apologised profusely and insisted he didn't want me to think that's all he was after. That he was looking for more than a casual one night thing. That he was getting to the stage in his life where he wanted to think about settling down and how his playboy days were behind him, he'd just needed to meet the right woman. It was quite refreshing, actually!"

"Right...and?"

"And we lay under the fake stars, making out and talking about anything and everything! Did you know he grew up on a farm? And he loves horses. Ooh, can you imagine him as a cowboy? Come to mama, yeehaa!" Jess giggled.

"Hmm. Sounds like something straight out of the movies, for sure." Cece said quietly.

"He just has it so  _together_  y'know? He runs his own  _very_  successful company, he's smart and funny and easy on the eye and_"

Jess stopped talking and narrowed her eyes at her friend.

"What's wrong?"

"You're looking at me funny, Cece."

"Pssh! I am not!"

"You've got something to say, so c'mon..."

"Nothing, Jess! It's nothing. I'm really pleased that you had such a great time last night!"

"But...?"

"But what?"

"My dear Cece, don't you think I've known you long enough to read your facial expressions? Whatever it is, you can say it. I won't be offended...you don't like him?"

"No it's not that - he sounds great! It's just..." Cece sighed and tucked her knees up to her chest "...he sounds a little  _intense_. All that stuff about settling down? It was your first date..."

"I don't think he meant anything by it. I'm pretty sure there's not an engagement ring hidden in those roses, but I can double check if you want?" Jess laughed.

"Maybe he didn't mean anything by it, but...are you sure this is what you want, Jess? I thought this was just a rebound thing? Is it not a little too soon for something serious? I mean, it wasn't  _that_  long ago you broke up with Sam. And you still haven't really spoken about all of that to me yet. Don't you wanna talk it all over, you usually love dissecting break-ups!"

Jess rolled on to her back and laced her fingers together across her chest. Sighing a little, she spoke quietly "No, I'm good. I've drawn a line under me and Sam. Gotta move forward, you know?"

The truth was she hadn't really known how to feel about breaking things off with Sam. If she couldn't completely understand it herself, how could she have talked to Cece about it?

"Ok, babe. If you're sure? Just letting you know I'm here for you."

"I know, thanks, Cece. Hey, could you do me a favour?"

"Sure, anything."

"Would you take the roses out to the kitchen for me? I need to put them in water but I'm gonna get changed first..."

"Okay. Meet you out there in five?" Cece got off the bed slowly, picking up the flowers and giving a small squeeze on Jess's arm before she left. Cece knew this was her way of asking for time alone so she wasn't going to argue or force the issue.

Jess closed her eyes as the door clicked shut, taking a few deep breaths as thoughts of her break up with Sam swam back into her mind. That stupid marriage convention. Those stupid games. It just made everything so clear to her that things were not going to work. The physical compatibility test had left her with a sinking feeling. They didn't match up at all, awkward angles and clashing heads. He was much better suited to the tall, athletic woman to his right. Don't even get her started on the damn newspaper table test. What a complete bust  _that_  was. It fell apart the minute the phone book was dropped on it. She'd watched as it collapsed in a crumpled heap like a perfect metaphor of her relationship with Sam. All Jess could hear in her mind were the words of the host to the next couple across 'Strong table - strong couple!'

It repeated over and over, like a broken record. She had looked at him, as he just stood shrugging and laughing, but that's when she knew. She and Sam weren't a strong couple. They liked each other, they had fun together but, really - where was it going? They were walking alongside one another down the same road, but clearly in different lanes.

Jess stood up and walked to her closet, still feeling that pang of guilt as she remembered the look on his face when she told Sam perhaps they'd be better off apart. He hadn't seen it coming and, for that, she felt terrible. Sometimes she wondered if she should have tried harder to fix it, or if there hadn't have been that moment with Nick outside her door, would she still be with Sam? Was that...that... _whatever it was_...the catalyst for her concluding they just weren't working? Perhaps it was. Jess still couldn't decide if that was a blessing or a curse, but she knew it didn't feel like a serious relationship, and if she wanted to start thinking long term about her future - which she did - she had realised now that she needed to be with someone more well suited to her.

Someone on her wavelength. Someone like...Logan? She smiled at the thought of him and, okay, maybe it was a  _little_  too early to be thinking of him that way, but fate brings people together for a reason. She truly believed that. She hadn't been actively seeking anyone out after Sam, but there Logan was. Dropped right into her lap like a gift from above and she really did have a good feeling about this guy. Jess hurried to finish getting dressed - there were roses out there with her name on that needed attending to.

...

_She's biting on his bottom lip in that way that drives him wild, right on the edge of pain but gloriously sexy at the same time. His fingers are tousling her hair, yanking her head back slightly and pulling away so he can kiss the bare skin of her throat. She's moaning as he does and his trousers are so tight he could practically burst free of them whilst they are stood in the hallway between their rooms. She's rubbing her palm across his bulge now, and he growls against her open mouth, his breath hot and ragged as she teases him through the material. He's grabbing at her skirt, raking his hands up the back of her soft thighs and she's whispering his name breathlessly "Nick...don't stop...please, I want you"._ _He's struggling to control himself and is cupping her face in his hands, trying to ground himself slightly in this moment that threatens to carry him away. Her eyes are big and wide, staring back at him full of want. He can't take it any more, he has to tell her how much he wants her, needs her, so he opens his mouth to speak "Jess...", but her door has shot open behind them and everything has gone dark. He's looking at the panicked expression on her face which matches his own and sees a tall figure step out from her bedroom, placing a hand on her shoulder. He's going to tell that Sam to_ _**fuck off** _ _once and for all. Jess wants this, wants_ _**him** _ _. So he straightens up, still resting his fingers on her cheek and is looking over her shoulder. But it isn't Sam who is looking back at him. It's Logan. And Logan is stepping forward, resting both hands on her shoulders now and Nick has no words to speak. They've deserted him. So instead he is pleading with her silently "Don't go..." And she's opening her mouth to answer him but suddenly is gone from his grip. He's looking down at the floor and the ground is moving beneath him, stretching out and putting distance between them. Her arms are reaching for him so he takes a step closer, but the floor continues to move. Every step he is trying to gain, the ground is moving further, forcing the separation. "Nick!" She's calling for him, but he just can't get to her. He's angry now, shouting at her to come back but all that's doing is pushing her closer to Logan and he's right behind Jess, pulling her to him and stepping back into her room. He's sneering at Nick and closing the door in his face "I don't think so, Mr Porta Potty..."_

"No!" Nick yelled, waking himself up with a start and feeling his heart hammering against his chest. His breathing was fast and his brow dripping with sweat. Falling back against his pillow, he squeezed his eyes closed and forced himself to take some slow, measured breaths to calm down. _It was just a dream_.

He groaned and reached for the glass of water at the side of his bed, his mouth so dry he gulped the entire contents down in one go. Nick had gotten so drunk last night after Jess had left on her date that he could barely remember stumbling to bed. He wasn't expecting it to be a bundle of fun watching her go out with another guy, but hadn't been quite so prepared for the force at which the emotions had hit him right in the solar plexus. And of ALL people to be dating...it had to be that idiot. Perhaps he really had misread any signal he thought he had received from Jess that there was maybe something  _more_  between them. If she was going after guys like THAT, then Nick guessed he ought to really focus on getting her out of his head and forgetting about the whole sorry notion completely. He was back to being her boyfriend without the rewards, picking out fucking outfits and sending her off looking amazing all for someone else's benefit. He banged his fist down on the mattress, annoyed with himself as this was clearly all his fault for not having any balls in the first place. Throwing his covers back, Nick discovered he was still wearing yesterday's jeans, but had somehow miraculously remembered to remove his socks. Managing to sit himself up, he ran a hand over his face several times and half-heartedly reached for some clean clothes from his dresser. A shower could wait until later. Right now he needed painkillers and food to rid him of the hangover from hell. He emerged from his room and winced at the sunlight, bringing an arm up to shield his eyes as he staggered towards the kitchen.

"Nicholas! So glad you could join us in the land of the living!" Teased Schmidt on his way to the bathroom.

"Yeah, man. I was about to call 911 to send a search party looking for your ass...but then we heard you cry out like a little girl and thought maybe you'd caught sight of your own reflection in the mirror this morning 'cos, damn...you look rough, Miller!" Winston joined in as Nick gingerly perched on a stool at the kitchen island, holding his head in his hands and moaning "Why is everyone shouting?!"

"We're speaking in our normal voices Nick..."

"Well, stop! It hurts! My head is going to explode..."

He opened his eyes just enough to see a large glass of orange juice and two pills placed in front of him. Looking up, Jess was smiling sweetly at him from the other side of the counter. He nodded his gratitude and ducked his head back down, the throbbing in his temples becoming unbearable.

"Drink that, take those..." Jess instructed in her sing songy morning voice "...aaaand, eat this." She finished, laying a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him and stepping back. Nick could almost cry at the heavenly smell of the cooked breakfast sitting before him, his brows rising in surprise.

"Thank you, Jessica...but, why are you making me food?"

"Yeah, where was my damn breakfast?!" complained Winston "After I got up when no one else would to sign for your flowers from lover boy and everything!"

Nick's mouthful of bacon nearly got stuck in his throat but he forced it down with a gulp of juice.

_Flowers?_

"Flowers?" He asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.

"Winston - I made you pancakes yesterday! Besides, this is a thank you breakfast for Nick because he made an awesome choice with my date outfit last night, so there...and yes, flowers...see?" She held aloft the roses and sniffed them once again "They're from Logan, obviously! Aren't they amazing?!"

"Super..." Nick replied with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, letting his smile fade only once she had turned her back to continue rooting through the kitchen cupboards.

Winston sidled up to Nick and stole a piece of bacon off his plate before his hand could be swatted away. Keeping his voice low, he whispered "You helped Jess pick her outfit for her date?! Man, what did we already talk about...set your boundaries, Nick!"

"Yeah, I helped her - so what? Drop it, Winston. It's no big deal."

"I got one word for you, my friend - Flufferrrrrrr..."

"Shut up" Nick warned, shooting him a look as Jess returned to the island.

"Boundaries..." Winston said, almost imperceptibly, before retreating to his room.

"I knew this was here somewhere! I think someone must have moved it - what have I told you guys about touching this?!' Jess was cradling a large jug made from blue and white glass in her arms.

"Jessica, who would  _want_  to touch that thing?! It's hideous!" Scowled Schmidt, returning to the kitchen after his shower and choosing to sit opposite Cece at the dining table.

"Hey! This was my grandmother's jug that was passed down to me, it holds significant sentimental value!"

"Why in God's name are you using it for your roses, Jess? It's not even a vase! We have dozens of very aesthetically pleasing vases you could choose from, yet you search out that monstrosity? That ugly thing looks like it belongs at the bottom of the ocean with the rest of the relics from the Titanic!"

"JAR!" Called all three of the others in unison.

"I think it's beautiful...look how the colours of the glass swirl together and the way it catches the light. It's so pretty!" Jess pouted as Schmidt scoffed and rolled his eyes "Shut up, Schmidt. I like it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder - right, Nick?"

_'It certainly is...'_ he thought, keeping his eyes fixed on her and his mouth firmly shut as he nodded silently in agreement with his mouth full.

...


	5. Chapter 5

ARMS OPEN: CH 5

 

The orange M&M flew through the air like a missile: locked, loaded, and headed for its target. Shifting his weight and ducking his head to the right, Nick lifted both arms in celebration as he safely received the chocolate in his open mouth.

"Yeah! Oh man, we're so good at this!" he chewed and shot a cocky grin towards Jess who was sitting on the other side of the couch.

"The Bish don't miss, ya hear?" Gloated Winston from his position opposite Nick "I make that 12 to 7 in our favour now, right?"

"That would be correct, Winston. However I can't help but feel like some kind of handicap should be in place for those of us who happen to be paired up with the not so able bodied." Schmidt gestured towards Jess and she scowled back at him.

"Hey! I'm just as capable as you guys at playing this game!"

"Oh, please. You throw like a girl."

"I AM a girl, Schmidt."

"Okay, then allow me to be more specific." he cleared his throat "You throw like a girl...who was reared by wolves in the wild and never developed any muscle tone in her upper arm. It's a floppy mess up there and inhibits you from throwing in a straight line. I'm literally sat six feet across from you. It's not that hard!"

Fixing him with a narrowed gaze of annoyance and trying to ignore the laughter coming from Nick and Winston, Jess grabbed another M&M from the bowl on the table and lined up her arm with Schmidt's face. With her tongue poking out slightly through concentration, she flicked her wrist forward and watched in hopeful anticipation as it whizzed towards him, his mouth open and tongue hanging down like some over excited dog with it's head out of the window on a summer day. Jess grimaced as she saw it hit him square between the eyes and he regarded her with a look of pure disgust.

"You are such an amateur!" He yelled, rubbing the spot on his forehead "That's it, we're switching teams - now!"

There were vehement shakes of the head and muttered disagreement from the others, to which Jess stood and looked extremely offended.

"Really, guys?! Fine, you know what? I have better things to do than sit around playing your stupid game anyway...I have a  _date_  to go get ready for with someone who actually appreciates me!"

"Probably for the best..." Shot Nick as she turned her back and went to step away "...Schmidt's right, your aim sucks!"

Jess span, opened mouthed and irritated. Her glare switching from his direction to Winston's, who was also sat there, sucking in a deep breath and stifling a laugh. Pointing to the plate of baked goods on the coffee table and then to him, Jess spoke in a measured tone.

"That is the last time I bake you any cupcakes, Miller."

"Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves and pretend you baked these for us as some grand gesture of friendship, Jess..." Nick scowled back at her, the tension suddenly palpable between them "...we all know these were just extras left over from the batch you made for your crochet class yesterday!"

Jess heard Schmidt let out a low whistle and looked up to see him sharing a knowing glance with Winston who was now curling his lips over his teeth, waiting for the bomb to go off. Anything seemed to have Nick and Jess at each other's throats lately, there was constant bickering over the tiniest thing and it had reached a point where the other guys would just retreat and let them get on with it. Secretly Winston quite liked the drama, whilst Schmidt could never quite be sure if they were genuinely annoyed at each other or if this was like some kind of really tedious, drawn out foreplay the two of them were indulging in. It was bizarre, yet intriguing.

"Fine! Then you won't care that I'm taking them back!" Jess huffed and grabbed the dish of cupcakes, holding it to her chest aggressively. Nick got to his feet immediately and she stared up at him, eyes bugging out slightly in challenge.

"Hey, no way! Those are  _our_  cupcakes!"

"Not now - I made them, so they're coming with me. I mean, I'm terrible with my aim so who knows what else I'm terrible at. Baking, most likely...all that weighing and measuring with my scrawny little arms? It's bound to lead to failure, right? These probably taste disgusting..."

Nick stepped forward and angrily took hold of the other end of the serving plate with both hands.

"You can't take them back, Jessica. They're on a shared dish in a shared living area - therefore, they are now collective loft property! Give them back!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"I will  _not!_ "

"Damn it, Jess - gimme the cupcakes!"

They had entered into an odd little 'tug-o-war' - both gripping the plate on either side, eyes fixed on each other and neither one relenting. Schmidt and Winston had retreated to the kitchen where they continued to watch the exchange play out, beers in hand and completely perturbed by the unfolding scene.

After grappling with the dish for some time, Jess finally snapped and yelled.

"You want the darn cupcakes?  _Fine_  - take them!" releasing her grip on the plate, she sent it flying towards Nick who could do very little to avoid the baked goods heading his way. Two landed on his shirt, three fell to the floor at their feet, and another left a large smear of buttercream icing across his cheek as it flew next to his head and landed right way up in the centre of the M&M bowl.

Silence descended and the guys in the kitchen held their breath, glancing at each other and making mental plans for their escape routes when this all kicked off in about 5 seconds time.

Nick clicked his tongue off the roof of his mouth, and twitched his head to the side.

Jess stared open mouthed at the smushed cakes and splattered buttercream icing laying at her feet, her eyes slowly making their way up Nick's body until she met his steely gaze and had to desperately bite down on her lip to contain a snort of laughter.

"You think this is  _funny_ , Day?" He said quietly through gritted teeth.

"A little. I mean, you have pink frosting across your face..."

"Mmm."

"...and it's not really your colour, so..."

"Right." His face was set in a scowl as he nodded, the tip of his tongue digging in to the bottom of his cheek as he took a deep, calming breath "So, would you still think it was funny if I did...this?"

Nick scooped icing on to the tip of his finger then held it aloft. Jess's brow furrowed as she stared at the shiny pink blob, realising his intentions all too late as his hand quickly shot forward and swiped its way over her nose before her brain had a chance to react.

"Nick!" She screeched, her eyes bugging out again but met with only a nonchalant shrug and a turtled face from him, which made her blood boil even more.

"Now we're even." He said, deliberately slow and quiet. His dark stare searing in to her as he watched her nostrils flare in rage. He knew what he was doing, this was like poking the bear - but he just couldn't help himself where she was concerned.

Schmidt glanced across the kitchen counter with wide eyes at Winston, who returned the gesture by grimacing and turning his palms face up. They both knew there was nothing they could do but to stand by and watch this increasingly tense stand off. It felt a little like being a presenter on a wildlife documentary as a lion was stalking its prey - they wanted to call out and intervene, but knew that the laws of nature must not be meddled with. They had to let this thing play out by itself and run its course. Nick and Jess's friendship was in a league all of its own. If they interrupted now to try and break the tension, the pair of them would storm off to their respective rooms and stew silently for days, which ultimately affected both Schmidt and Winston too as they danced around the elephant in the room until finally those two stubborn idiots worked out their differences.

"We. Are.  **Not**. Even." Jess hissed, pointing a finger at Nick's face "What happened to you was an accident - you did  _that_  on purpose!"

"Maybe I did." His chin jutted out belligerently as she narrowed her eyes at him.

Her angry breathing was loud in the silence of the room, and she could hear it echoing in her ears. Jess hated the way he pushed her buttons so easily. With anyone else she would turn on her heel at this point and walk away, but with him it was like she couldn't bear to let him think he had the upper hand. It was stupid and childish - she knew that, but it was always the way it had been with them. As she tried to stop herself from wanting to punch Nick right in the face, Jess happened to glance down to her right, eyes landing on the one remaining cupcake sitting in a bowl surrounded by M&M's. Without even thinking, she had reached out to pick it up and held it menacingly between both hands, and it dawned on Nick what she was about to do.

"Don't even think about it, Jessica..."

She smirked and threw the cake gently up in air a few inches, catching it again in the same hand.

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't..."

"I mean it!"

"Oh, you  _mean_  it?" Jess rolled her eyes and passed the cupcake from hand to hand.

What happened next reminded Winston of a scene in a Wild West movie - each of their eyes narrowed at each other and Nick's fingers twitched at his sides. Jess picked up on the fact he was about to attempt to swipe the cupcake away from her, so turned her back and bolted at the exact moment he went to lunge. Pretty quickly, it descended in to Nick attempting to catch Jess by running around the big brown couch like they were a couple of school children playing tag.

In a moment Jess would be proud of if this were a game of True American, she leapt two footed up on to the coffee table. This caught Nick off guard making him stumble and loose his footing, his shoulder shoving her in the side of her leg as he came to a sudden stop - and then, somehow, she was dangling from his back while he span in a circle. Her legs draped around his hips so as not to fall, with one arm practically strangling him at the neck and the other continuing to hold the cupcake aloft as if it were some precious piece of treasure. There was a cacophony of yells and screeching, arms and legs at a dozen different angles as Nick desperately tried to prise Jess off of him. Jolting them both sideways on to the couch and freeing himself from her clutches, he once again made a grab for the cake when Jess wasn't looking, knocking her on to her back in a moment of lapsed concentration.

Nick had her pinned to the couch and was laughing that scratchy, throaty little laugh he did sometimes, his thighs straddling hers and his hands gently grasping her wrists - pressing them into the cushions next to her head where he could feel her pulse beating hard against his palms as he loomed over her. Falling silent, he swallowed hard as Jess's mouth dropped open ever so slightly, her lips barely parted in the most tantalising way he had ever imagined.

And he  _was_  starting to imagine her like that. Possibly far more often than he should.

"You give?" He rasped, sounding out of breath.

"I give..." She nodded, voice barely audible.

His face hovered above her, probably a little  _too_  close, because Jess was staring into his eyes - his stupid, argumentative, poo-coloured eyes - and for the first time ever, she noticed the tiny amber flecks that danced around his pupils in the sea of dark brown.

It was mesmerising.

At the sound of Winston forcefully clearing his throat, their heads snapped to the side in perfect synchronicity to see Logan standing next to Schmidt with a completely bemused expression on his face. They'd been so caught up in their tussle that they hadn't even heard him knock at the door. She instantly dropped the cupcake that was still in her grasp, not even caring that it rolled off the couch and landed with a loud splat on the floor.

"I'm early..." Logan offered flatly.

Jess stared at him dumbfounded. This wasn't quite how she was expecting to greet her date: prone on her back and covered in pink cupcake frosting.

Realising she was still lying under Nick, Jess kicked her legs violently to wriggle free of him and he immediately relented, sitting as far back from her on the couch as he could and feeling like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Logan!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet and giving him and overly enthusiastic hug "You're here early! That's...that's awesome!"

Winston stood and watched as Nick's eyes followed Jess. She grabbed Logan's hand then headed down the hall towards her room, and still Nick tracked her path long after the door had closed behind them. He had noticed with surprise the way Nick's chest heaved with a deep breath the moment Jess was out of view, and shook his head in pity.

"What the  _hell_  was that?!" Winston whispered, trying to avoid detection by Schmidt who was looking for his cleaning caddy and muttering something about living with a bunch of slobs.

"What?" Nick shrugged, swiping his forearm over his face to remove the frosting that still lingered.

"The play fighting?"

"It wasn't anything." Nick pouted.

"Don't think I can't see what's going on here. You are on thin ice, man.  _Thin ice!_ " He hissed, prodding a finger towards him in warning.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Nick scowled, turning his back to end the conversation and walking quickly to the fridge to grab a bottle of Heisler.

He didn't want to talk about what had just unfolded. That would mean thinking about the way his heart had almost stuttered to a stop in his chest when he saw Jess gaze back up into his eyes from beneath him, and he didn't want to torture himself thinking there was something more lurking in that look when he knew damn well that the reality was it was all in his head.

"C'mon, Nick. Play fighting is a no-go, dude." Winston persisted, settling himself on a stool at the kitchen island "That's boyfriend territory - we've spoken about this, just add it to the list along with building furniture and holding elevator doors open for her_"

"Would you stop with that? Jess and I didn't do anything wrong. No harm done."

"Tell that to Logan..." Winston raised a brow.

"I'd be happy to." Nick sneered, looking back up the hall to where sounds of laughter were emanating from Jess's room.

...

...

Jess walked alongside Logan towards the loft door, her heels clicking on the hardwood and his hand rested around her waist as they shared another joke. Her eyes drifted as she passed the living area to see Nick and Winston sat playing video games and drinking beers while Schmidt was donning rubber gloves as he swept up and mopped the floor around them, trying to clean the mess she and Nick had made earlier. Hit by a pang of guilt, she stepped awayfrom Logan's touch to place a hand on Schmidt's shoulder.

"You can leave that until I get home. It's my fault, after all."

"Oh, no." He shook his head "No, no, no. Can't do that, Jessica. You of all people should know I positively  _cannot_  sit here and relax while you are gone knowing that sticky foodstuff is smeared across our floorboards."

"Please, Schmidt. I feel bad."

"Don't. Go enjoy your date. I'll enjoy  _my_  date with the mop, because unlike certain other loft inhabitants..." He looked pointedly towards the guys on the couch "...I cannot allow myself to wallow in filth like a pig person. I'm happy to do it, I'm nearly done now anyways and then we can all rest easy."

"I hate to interrupt..." started Logan tentatively "...but we really should make a move if we want to catch the movie in time."

Jess went to open her mouth to offer a final apology, but Schmidt silenced her by lifting his hand.

"It's fine, Jess."

"Okay, well...I'll see you guys later then, I guess."

It didn't escape her that the only voice not to bid them farewell was Nick's. He had instead insisted on keeping his eyes fixed firmly on the tv, and for some reason it really bothered her. She hated feeling like this was all her fault, when really it was his ridiculous antagonistic behaviour that had fuelled the whole exchange. But she wasn't going to let him dampen the mood for her date, that much she was sure of. Logan had made a real effort, leaving work early to make sure they could spend the evening together, and she owed him her full attention. Tonight was about them enjoying each other, and not for dwelling on her irritating roommate.

Breathing a sigh of relief as the elevator doors closed behind them, Jess looked up to see Logan gazing at her. Reaching for her hand from his spot leaning against the metal wall, he linked their fingers together and grinned as he pulled her against his chest, leaning down to kiss her.

It didn't stop when Jess expected it to, instead he kept his grip on her waist tight, probing at her mouth with his tongue, and practically sucking the air from her lungs as if he were trying to inhale her.

"Wh-What was that for?" Jess asked, a little breathless as she broke away.

"Nothing, I'm just happy to have you to myself at last."

"Well, I promise I am all yours for the rest of the night..." She beamed.

"I should hope so." He winked, the dimples in his cheeks becoming more prominent when he flashed her a smile, then lead her out of the building as the elevator reached the ground floor and opened its doors once again.

...

...

Logan was sat with his arms folded in front of him, staring silently into the distance.

"Everything okay? You seem a little quiet since dinner." Jess placed their drinks down on the table and sat herself on the stool next to him.

They'd come to a bar a little further out of town that he had been invited to. The internal decor was all crushed red velvet and mirrored walls - not the kind of place Jess would usually frequent, but Logan seemed excited to show it to her as he knew the owner, so she was happy to try somewhere new.

"Yeah, it's nothing." He frowned "Probably just me overthinking."

She sighed and stroked his shoulder, making him take a breath and turn to his left, his green eyes looking at her intently.

"Actually, Jess...can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but...is there, maybe...a  _history_  between you and Nick that I should know about?"

She couldn't help the guffaw that flew from her mouth at the mere thought.

"What?!" Jess laughed "No! Certainly not. There's never been anything going on between me and Nick...ever! You couldn't be further from the truth. Are you crazy?"

Logan looked down at the ground, nodding just the once, and when Jess realised he was being serious, her hand reached out for his and gently covered it with her own.

"I promise you, Nick and I are just friends. That's all we've ever been. Look, Logan, I know my living conditions are somewhat... _unconventional_ , but please don't see the guys as a threat. It's not like that at all - I can get Nick to tell you the same thing when we get back, I swear!"

"No, no...it's okay." He shook his head quickly and squeezed her fingers "I believe you. Besides, I don't think Nick likes me very much."

"Well, Nick doesn't like  _anyone_  very much..."

"Maybe I'm just reading too much into it. I don't know, he just seems a little...hostile towards me. I know I look like a big tough guy, but honestly I'm quite a sensitive person and I tend to pick up on these things. I sometimes feel like he doesn't want me around."

Jess smiled sympathetically at him and curled her arm around the crook of his elbow, placing a gentle peck on his cheek.

"You don't have anything to worry about, Logan."

"Good. Because I really like you, Jess."

"Well then, looks like we're on the same page." She chuckled and raised her glass of wine to clink it with his beer bottle.

...

...


	6. Chapter 6

ARMS OPEN: CH 6

...

Jess stood under the shower, letting the jets of warm water engulf her as she tried to shift the fuzzy feeling in her head. Tipping her head right back, she opened her mouth and let the stream of water trickle over her tongue, desperate to feel more in the land of the living. She hadn't planned to get drunk last night, but they were having so much fun at that swanky new bar - the drinks were flowing freely thanks to the owner ushering them into the VIP area and telling them to order whatever they liked, whilst slapping Logan jovially on the shoulder. They'd been treated like royalty, and Jess had been happily tipsy, perfectly merry - just the right side of intoxication. She knew she shouldn't have had that last drink. Jess knew her limits and was well aware it was going to tip her over, but Logan insisted and ordered it anyway, so to not accept it would have been a little rude, right? Before you could say 'rosé', Jess was taking her high heels off in order to dance pain free, and singing at the top of her lungs with Logan laughing loudly in the booth behind her. Everything went a little blurry round the edges after that point - she can remember flashes here and there: the beat of the music pulsing rhythmically through her body as she twirled on the dance floor, cheering from some strangers who'd joined them in the booth when she downed a shot of something green and apple flavoured, Logan's arm steering her towards a taxi, and then the welcome softness of her pillow beneath her head not long after.

There was, however, one thing from last night that Jess could not shake from the forefront of her mind no matter how much she tried.

_"...is there, maybe...a_ _ **history**_   _between you and Nick that I should know about?_ "

Logan's words flew around her brain on a loop, and there was a knot of something in her stomach that made her feel uneasy. At first she'd assumed it was guilt - her cheeks still flushed slightly at the memory of him walking in to the chaos from the previous evening. Clearly, seeing the girl you're dating lying on her back between the legs of another man and clutching a cupcake is never going to be a welcome sight, but that was just the crazy kind of shenanigans that went on inside the confines of the loft (hell, if Logan had turned up the day before, he would have found her inspecting the new mole on the inside of Schmidt's thigh with great interest).

Explaining her relationship with the guys to other people was always a little difficult - it was hard for them to understand the loft dynamic without assuming there had to some kind of sordid happenings going on behind closed doors. This was especially true of her and Nick. They somewhat blurred the boundaries on occasion. Jess had lost count of the number of times they'd been out getting groceries and been mistaken for a couple. She had to admit, she once caught a glimpse of the two of them walking out of the store side by side as they shared a joke and they really  _did_  look like the height of domestic happiness, so it was probably a fair assumption for a stranger to make. So maybe Jess could  _kind of_  understand Logan's insecurities in that department - but at the end of the day, she and Nick were just friends, right?

Jess frowned, lathering up more shampoo in her hair and scrubbing at her scalp vigorously to try and stop her mind from ambling down the dangerous path of revisiting what happened last night. She wouldn't analyse why he was always able to press her buttons easier than Winston or Schmidt, or contemplate why she thought it was a good idea to jump on his back as she toppled over. Jess certainly wouldn't think about that look in Nick's eyes as he gazed down on her while her heart pounded from the adrenaline rush their fight had triggered. It was just another of those occasions where things had been stretched a little way past appropriate. One more moment between them where things got weird and neither of them would acknowledge it the next day.

Nothing to see, here

Nope.

It was business as usual.

Anyway, she'd seen him clipping his toenails in the kitchen far too many times to think of him in any other capacity, and he'd witnessed her prickly legs when she'd forgotten to shave (on more occasions than she would like to admit to) - which is  _easily_  enough to stop any sordid thoughts from creeping in to a guys mind.

Besides, she really liked Logan and wanted to prove to him everything was above board. He would come around and relax about Nick once he knew them better and saw how much the guys  _all_  looked out for her, she was sure of it...

...

Yawning loudly as he exited his room, Nick fumbled with top bottom of his shirt and rubbed his knuckles against his eyes, shuffling towards the kitchen with a sleepy sigh. The smell of pancakes hit his nose immediately, and a smile stretched his mouth so wide that his lips had no choice but to curl at the edges to display all his teeth. After the slightly embarrassing way things had been left after their little cupcake incident last night, knowing that Jess had cooked his favourite breakfast made him think that perhaps she wasn't quite as annoyed at him as he had assumed.

"Mmm, that smells amazing Jess." Nick chirped brightly as he rounded the corner.

"Yeah, it tasted pretty good too!"

The voice that answered him did not belong to Jess. He didn't even need to finish looking up to know who was addressing him.

_Ugh_.

"Logan..." Nick nodded and tried not to sound too surprised, but it was honestly more difficult than he thought, especially after being caught so off guard. His shoulders slumped a little as he took in the view of Logan sitting at the kitchen counter finishing the last forkful of a breakfast made by Jess. Disappointment visibly deflated Nick's posture as he realised all too late that the sounds he'd heard last night weren't just a terrible dream.

The vivid nightmares he was having had become a regular occurrence, and so lifelike that it often was difficult to tell where dreams began or reality ended. Many times he woke in a cold sweat after being faced with a myriad of dream scenarios which all ended the same way - with someone else blocking his path towards Jess. So when he had stirred in the early hours of the morning and heard Jess giggling outside his door, Nick merely grunted at himself in annoyance while still half asleep and rolled over to face the window, willing his mind to stop playing tricks on him.

Turns out it wasn't a trick at all, and those giggles weren't for him.

They were for Logan.

Who had  _stayed the night_.

Suddenly Nick's appetite had all but vanished, replaced by a swelling tide of nausea deep within his gut - not least because this guy was sat proud as anything on Nick's stool at the counter.

"Hey Nick, you want breakfast? Mr Greedy Guts here has eaten the first batch single handedly but I can make some more?" Jess turned from the stove wearing her favourite apron, hair pulled up away from her face and her big blue eyes shining with happiness as she sucked some errant maple syrup from her thumb.

It took him a second to prise his eyes away from her lips, but Nick cleared his throat and pointed in the vague direction of the door.

"Uh, no...thanks. I'm good...need to, uh...you know, open up the bar..." He mumbled, shifting his weight awkwardly from foot to foot, desperate to remove himself from the situation.

"I thought your car was still out of action?" She asked, turning back to her batter and making herself another round of pancakes.

_Shit. He forgot he told her that._

"It is...I was just going to walk."

Jess dropped her spatula and immediately looked up at him, concerned.

"Are you feeling okay, Nick? You never walk to work."

"I walk to work sometimes!" He retorted defensively.

"Like  _when_?! Name  _one_  time you've walked to work?"

Nick muttered something largely inaudible about a health kick Schmidt put him on last month before his voice trailed off I to silence.

"Well, you know, if you wait ten minutes I'm sure Logan could give you a ride?" Jess suggested, looking hopefully in his direction over her shoulder as she flipped a pancake perfectly in the pan "I mean, you're going that direction anyway...right?"

Logan scratched the side of his nose before smiling widely.

"I am, as it happens - happy to help if I can. What do you say, Nick?"

There was an uncomfortably long, awkward silence as Nick looked from Jess to Logan and back again.

"I..."

"Honestly, it's no trouble."

"You know what? Thanks for the offer, but I could really use the fresh air actually..." Nick swallowed nervously, a panicked sweat starting to brew at the thought of sharing a confined space with Jess's new lover "I think the walk would be good for me. Yeah, things got a bit messy after you left last night so I'm not feeling all that great. Truth be told, I can barely remember getting to bed, you know how it is, I'm sure..."

Logan did this half laugh-half snort thing that made Nick want to kick him in the nuts, then took a bite of bacon and smiled in Jess's direction.

"Oh, well, I remember last night in  _perfect_  detail." He said, pointedly "But it might be a different story for this little firecracker over here!"

Jess's cheeks blushed crimson in colour as he reached out to squeeze her waist.

"Don't remind me..." She groaned, bringing her hands up to frame her face "...oh, God, did I make a total idiot of myself in front of everyone? I did, didn't I? It's okay, you can tell me the truth - I can take it..."

"Are you kidding?" Logan laughed, gripping her by the apron and tugging her forward to stand between his legs in a manner that Nick was less than enamoured with "Look, Ms Day, my friends  _adored_  you, I promise! You're the perfect package, what's not to like?" He turned his head to look purposefully at Nick "Right?"

"Yeah, she's something special alright." Nick nodded, failing to keep the protective tone out of his voice.

Jess smiled, and Nick watched her lean in to straighten the collar of Logan's shirt. His guts twisted sharply and making his excuses, Nick turned to head towards the door.

"Are you sure I can't drive you to work?" Logan offered over Jess's shoulder.

"I'm good, thanks." Nick replied, more tersely than he could help "I'm not really in the mood for company right now."

Logan looked at Jess and smiled sadly, shrugging and mouthing the words " _See? Doesn't like me!_ " at her. She sighed, chewing on her bottom lip and wondering for a moment if perhaps Logan had a point.

It definitely felt a  _little_  like the cold shoulder treatment. Nick never turned down the offer of a ride, it just wasn't in his nature to chose exercise over laziness.

Turning back towards the stove, Jess tipped the last of her pancakes on to a plate and suddenly felt overcome with guilt. Maybe Nick really  _did_  just want some fresh air to clear his head - there were an awful lot of empty beer bottles strewn on the floor this morning. Plus, he hadn't eaten. Nick going to work on an empty stomach was like Jess going to work without her stationery - it  **never**  happened. The poor guy was probably starving, and disappointed at not getting any pancakes. It was no secret that Jess's were his favourite. Usually she would sneak him an extra round with a wink when the other guys weren't looking, and he'd grin back at her like a mischievous school boy getting extra pudding from the lunch lady.

It wasn't his fault that he's a little... _backwards_  in the socialising department. Not everyone can be as confident and charming around new people as Logan. Nick is like a coconut - it takes a lot of work to crack him open, but once you do he's pretty damn sweet under that hard exterior.

Suddenly, Jess is rooting through the cupboards like a woman on a mission, filling Tupperware containers and grabbing cutlery then scuttling out of the kitchen calling over her shoulder to Logan that she'll be right back.

...

Nick closed his eyes, letting his head fall forward against the cool metal of the elevator wall with a thud. His stomach grumbled loudly and he sighed, pressing the button to close the doors and wondering whether it was too early in the day for a beer because God knows he needed one. Tutting at the lack of movement, he pushed his thumb against the elevator button several times in quick succession.

"Come on you son of a bitch, do your job and close the damn doors." He moaned through gritted teeth, feeling the prickly heat of anger creeping up his spine.

Or maybe it was jealousy?

What a way to start the day.

Just as the doors finally began to stutter into action, a small hand appeared and pushed them back open again.

"Nick! Wait!"

"Jess?" He frowned "What are you doing?"

"I felt bad about Logan eating all the pancakes. I know they're your favourite, and you seem like you could probably use a decent breakfast this morning, so...here..." She extended her arm from behind her back to display a tub filled with pancakes, blueberries and a fork.

His brow furrowed a little in confusion.

"How did you...?"

"Oh, these were mine." Jess explained "But I can make more, so I wanted you to have them."

Nick couldn't lie, the gesture touched him.

Typical Jess putting others first.

"Jess, this is...that's so..." A grateful smile quirked his mouth upwards.

"Wait, I have something else for yoooou!" She sang, producing a second, smaller tub from her apron which contained a caramel coloured substance.

"Extra syrup?!" He exclaimed, practically snatching it from her hand in delight.

"Just how you like it." Jess replied fondly "I thought it might cheer you up, so..."

"Yeah, that should do it."

"Anyway, I should probably head back inside to make sure Logan hasn't eaten everything else in the fridge - the appetite on that dude is  _crazy!_ "

"Oh. Yeah, no...sure..." He waved a hand dismissively like it was no big deal that Jess was walking back towards the biggest slime ball on the entire planet, getting his douchey-ness all over Nick's stool.

Watching her step away, practically hypnotised by the little bounce of her waist, he closed his eyes and shook his head.

_Snap out of it, dude. It's never gonna happen. You had your chance and you blew it. Too bad, boo-hoo. Life sucks._

Grunting in annoyance at himself, Nick leaned out of the elevator to call after her.

"Hey, Jess?"

"Yeah?" She turned to face him, loitering just outside the loft door, the smile on her face so perfect and wide it made Nick feel like his chest was full of sunshine. He wanted to just leap out of the elevator, stride over there and kiss her senseless right where she stood - and to hell with the damn consequences.

"I...uh..." he faltered, standing momentarily mute and struggling to know what to say, but realising that he needed to say something -  _anything_  - or else risk looking crazy. Finally, giving a little nod of his head and raising the Tupperware in his hands, Nick grinned back at her "...thanks for breakfast."

"Any time, Miller." Jess beamed, shooting double finger guns in his direction before disappearing back inside the apartment.

...

Bounding back into the kitchen with a spring in her step and a big smile on her face, Jess started to make up more pancake mix and turned the radio up to sing along as Logan cleared up his dirty dishes and placed them in the sink. He came to stand behind her, placing his hands on her hips and resting his chin on the top of her head, such was the height difference.

"So...last night was awesome, and breakfast has been  _sublime_  - but I better get going soon."

"Really?" Jess sounded disappointed and span, wiggling the mixing bowl at him in the most enticing way she knew how "I'm making up a fresh baaaatch..."

Logan pouted and nodded his head.

"I have a meeting first thing this morning with a potential new client and as much as I would  _love_  to stay here eating pancakes all day, I really can't be late."

He sighed and bent down to kiss her temple, smiling as Jess reached up on tiptoes to swipe crumbs from the corner of his mouth.

"Okay Mr Big-Shot, but call me later?"

"You bet." He smiled, leaning back over the counter to grab his jacket.

Pausing as he was about to walk away, Logan turned on his heel and hovered a few steps away from Jess.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah..." He nodded, playing with his tie "...it's just, well, I wanted to apologise to you for last night."

"Apologise? I don't understand."

"Yes. I'm sorry I questioned you about Nick..."

"Oh, that? Pfft - already forgotten about!" She lied, staring down at her batter.

"I don't mean to make excuses, but I want you to know that I've been hurt quite badly in the past, so it makes trusting people a little hard for me at first - I'm working on it, I promise."

Jess placed the bowl on the counter and turned to face him, placing her hand on his elbow.

"I appreciate your honesty, Logan - but I thought we cleared this up last night? Everything's good, okay? There's no reason to apologise!"

"I just needed to make sure I wasn't stepping on any toes, you know?"

"I promise you there are no toes to be trodden on in this loft. None. No feet, no toes, no little piggies...nada!"

He grinned as she squeezed his arm, and Jess couldn't help but smile back at the dimples that appeared in his cheeks.

"Great."

"Great..."

"But I do have something to admit myself..." Logan tilted his head.

"Go on..."

"I can't lie - I'm the kind of guy who wears his heart on his sleeve, always have been. So if that's going to scare you off, I'd rather you know now..." He shrugged.

"Consider me fully informed." Jess winked, kissing his cheek and ushering him towards the door before he was late for his meeting.

Settling herself down on the couch in the quiet of the loft, Jess devoured her pancakes in front on the tv and found herself smiling. She was doing that a lot these days. Logan was a breath of fresh air - and although she would admit that his declarations about the strength of his feelings caught her off guard to start with, Jess actually found the fact he was so upfront and in touch with his emotions quite refreshing, given her more recent dating history.

Swallowing the last of her breakfast, Jess felt her phone buzz on the cushion next to her.

_Cece:_

_Sooo...how was your date?_

Giggling like a teenager, Jess tucked her knees up in front of her and hugged a pillow to her chest as she typed out her reply.

_Jess:_

_Awesome! Well, the parts I remember anyway. Put it this way - he enjoyed his breakfast ;)_

_Cece:_

_Jessica Day, you dirty dog! Spill!_

_Jess:_

_Got to get to work. Details over lunch?_

_PS. I think he could be the perfect guy, Ceec 3_

_Cece:_

_Usual place, 12:30 :)_

_PS. No one is perfect, babe..._

...

...


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the epic hiatus. I've had a lot going on IRL, and writers block had been kicking my butt. But i'm still committed to finishing this fic! Thank you for sticking with me.

 

ARMS OPEN: CH 7  
  
...  
  
Cece dug at the ice in the bottom of her glass with a straw, a nod in the direction of the waiter signalling him to bring another over to her table. She shifted in her seat, boredom growing as she looked at her watch and wondered what was keeping her usually oh-so-punctual friend. Jess chose the same moment to bluster through the door, hurrying over to take a seat, puffing air from her cheeks and dropping her bag loudly under the table.

"Tough morning?" Cece raised a brow.

  
"Ugh, the worst. It must be a full moon, because the kids in my class are just bonkers today. Jason cut his own fringe with my fabric scissors, Gina emptied all the hole punch bottoms on the floor because it 'looked like confetti', and Antonio nearly poked his own eye out with a paper plane..." She sighed heavily and gratefully accepted the alcohol free cocktail Cece slid across the table top at her.

  
"Okay, well for the next hour you're not allowed to think about school. Lunch is on its way - I ordered your usual - and I want to hear all about this so called Mr Perfect!"

“I thought you said no one was perfect?” Jess challenged.

“I’m willing to hear you out…” Cece smirked “…and he must be doing something right, because you’re seeing him a _lot_ these days.”

“Speaking of which, he messaged me while I was on my way over here about dinner tonight.”

“Yeah? Another VIP table at some swanky new restaurant I take it?”

“No, actually…” Jess narrowed her eyes, aware of the veiled sarcasm beneath Cece’s question “…he says he wants to cook me dinner at his place, so we can have an evening away from all the loud music and crowds of people. Just us two. Something special, you know. It’s not all about fancy places and networking. He wants to get to know me better.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like a bitch.” Cece saw the slightly wounded look on Jess’s face “That’s great. Sounds perfect. So tell me more about what’s been going on – with all the craziness of Shivrang’s family visiting, I feel like we haven’t had the chance to hang out much recently.”

“I’m not sure where you want me to start, but we sure are having a lot of fun…”

“Fun? _Just_ fun? Because I thought that was part of the problem with you and Dr Sam?”

Jess took a thoughtful sip of her drink before sitting back in her chair with a little shrug.

“It was. But, honestly? This feels like it could be different. We have fun, but there’s definitely scope for this to turn in to something more. Something serious. He was very obvious about that just this morning, actually…”

“And that's what you want?” Cece was careful to keep the tone of her question neutral.

Jess considered the question as she chewed a mouthful of her lunch. She’d been in several serious relationships since moving in to the loft, but they’d always left her feeling a bit like Goldilocks: none of them felt quite right for one reason or another.

She was looking for something she couldn’t quite put her finger on, but Jess knew that once she found it, the wait would have been worth the heartache of what had come before. She owed it to herself to explore what lie ahead with Logan, and she promised that this time she wouldn’t read in to everything so much, wouldn’t over analyse every detail and tell herself they should be something different to fit this idea of love she’d clung on to since childhood.

Jess always had this image of what the perfect relationship should be like in her head, but so far that had gotten her nowhere fast. It hadn’t escaped her that to others she seemed like a fantasist, searching for something that didn’t exist. She knew the guys shook their heads in despair at her notion of true love, but no matter what had happened in the past, Jess remained a hopeless romantic – she wouldn’t give up on finding her soul mate.

He was out there somewhere, Jess knew it.

She could feel it.

This time, it would be different. She _needed_ it to be different.

“You know, I think I do want it. I’m ready to find myself someone I can see a real future with, Cece. I’m so sick of making the wrong choices with guys. I want to see where this goes. Logan checks so many boxes.” Jess used her fingers to list them off “Treats me well – tick, shares my interests – tick, good career – tick…”

“Tall, handsome, great body: tick, tick, _tick_ …”

“Cece!”

“Girl, please – don’t even try to tell me that’s not part of the equation!” She raised a knowing brow at her friend.

“Hey, it’s not my fault if his personality happens to be wrapped in a wholly pleasant exterior…” Jess grinned.

“I knew it!” Cece laughed “Well, now you’re going to have to invite me over for dinner so I can meet him properly and assess his suitability for you myself.”

“Deal. And I know you have your reservations about Logan, what with him coming on so strong and all - but if you meet him and see what he’s like for yourself, I’m sure you’ll change your mind.”

Jess realised she’d been worrying her napkin between her fingers on the table. She trusted Cece implicitly, and although Jess wouldn’t immediately admit it, her best friends approval of the guy she was dating really did mean a lot to her. She wanted everyone to see Logan the way she did.

Schmidt was already enamoured with him, Winston hadn’t said much either way, and Nick was clearly going to take a little work. But Cece’s opinion was the one she really cared about right now.

“In all seriousness Jess, you’re my best friend and I just want to see you smiling again. If you’re happy, then I’m happy.”

“I am.” Jess nodded confidently.

“Then, so am I…” Cece shrugged with a smile, giving Jess’s hand a squeeze from across the table.

“Okay. Great. Well, then enough about me – how are the wedding plans going? Have you finalised the guest list yet? You know Schmidt is still convinced this is all some kind of elaborate ruse just to teach him a lesson…I honestly don’t think he’ll accept you’ve moved on until he sees you marry someone else with his own eyes.”

 “See that right there, is precisely the reason I am marrying someone like Shivrang.” Cece rolled her eyes “A man who behaves like an actual adult, not an overgrown man-child like Schmidt who thinks the world revolves around him, and can’t even maintain a serious relationship without throwing it down the drain.”

 Cece’s gaze dropped to her plate but Jess pretended not to notice. They both knew it was painful for her to think about how Schmidt had ended things – especially when it was the first time Jess can remember seeing her friend truly happy with a guy. Cece had let her guard down for him, and been burned. So now she’d built it back again twice as high, which is why Jess was still a little confused by the engagement to Shivrang. But Cece seemed committed to seeing it through, and at no point had she given Jess any indication that she was regretting the idea. Until she knew otherwise, Jess had to assume this is what her friend wanted, and would give her complete support.

“Shivrang has real plans. He has life goals. He wants to build a future - and I’m a part of it.”

“Do you love him, Ceec?”

Jess’s question came unexpectedly, the words having been spoken the very instant she thought them to herself. Cece visibly flinched, and when no answer came straight away, they both fell silent - knowing that was an unspoken answer all of its own.

Cece took a moment to contemplate her words, before taking a deep breath and looking her best friend right in the eye.

“Sometimes love isn’t everything you think it’s going to be, Jess.”

  
...  
…

 

Nick collapsed with a groan onto the couch, his body sinking into the groove he had carved into the cushions over the years. He ached all over and was grateful for the chance to relax uninterrupted. The others were either at work or sleeping, meaning he could lay around in a t-shirt and his underwear without a care in the world for a few blissful hours. In the week since his uncomfortable kitchen encounter with Logan and Jess, he’d buried himself in work - including the shifts that meant doing the deliveries alone.  The physical exhaustion he experienced meant he could escape the mental toil that had been plaguing him - even if just for a few hours. He'd work all hours he could manage, until every single muscle in his body was screaming for mercy and pleading for him to rest, then it was all he could do to get back home and crawl into his bed to pass out from exhaustion. He didn’t care how damn much it hurt, because channelling his frustration into something productive was easier than wallowing in the searing resentment he now felt whenever he was back at the loft.

 It was becoming painfully clear that Logan wasn't going anywhere fast right now. The way Jess breezed in to the apartment after dates with him made Nick’s stomach squirm with jealously. She seemed so happy, and that was great - but Nick just didn't like the guy, and no amount of Jess forcing them to spend time together was going to change that. He was civil, but purely because of the kick in the shins he knew he’d receive under the table from Jess if he wasn’t. By increasing the hours he worked, he was able to avoid some of the encounters he had been finding more and more difficult to navigate – and it had been several days since he’d seen anything of Jess at all. The closest he’d gotten was walking into the living area one morning just as she closed the door behind her when leaving for work. The sweet scent of her perfume had hung in the air, and Nick had closed his eyes as he breathed it in deeply, her face filling the blank space behind his eyelids despite the way it made his chest ache.

 Sighing loudly, he grabbed the TV remote and flicked aimlessly through the channels, not paying much attention to what was on – he just needed something for his brain to focus on long enough to keep his mind distracted. Enjoying having the couch to himself for once, he stretched his legs out in front of him, propped himself up with cushions, and started eating the enormous sandwich he’d lovingly constructed (his thinking was: make it big enough for two meals, save himself a second trip to the kitchen). A cool beer rested on the floor, and as he reached the tips of his fingers down to grab it, he sent the bottle toppling over with a thud, a pool of liquid puddling on the hardwood.

 “Shit!” He grumbled, reluctantly sitting up again and reaching for the nearest absorbent material within arm’s length to mop up the spill.

 This happened to be a blanket belonging to Schmidt, but Nick was pretty sure he’d be able to hide the incriminating evidence long enough to for the beer to dry. Then he’d spray it with some cologne, shove it in the back of Schmidt’s drawer, and hope to avoid suspicion.

 Hearing the door to the loft swing open, Nick panicked and hid the blanket under a cushion to his left, head popping up quickly over the top of the couch like a meerkat as he expected to see a flustered Schmidt returning early from his meeting. The mop of dark curls and glasses holding a stack of workbooks told him otherwise, and his half chewed mouthful of sandwich nearly choked him as it stuck in his throat.

 “Jess…” he croaked.

 “Oh, hey, Nick…” She grinned, using her index finger to slide the frame of her glasses higher up on her nose and setting the pile of books down on the side table “I was beginning to forget what you looked like!”

 He smiled and nodded, not really knowing what else to say as she approached the couch. He was suddenly reminded of his choice of clothing (or lack thereof) as Jess stopped a few steps away, taking in his attire whilst frowning.

"Ew, Nick - put some pants on or something. You're not a fourteen year old boy anymore, sitting in your underwear eating sandwiches all day is just not cool, man."

 “I beg to differ.” He shrugged, biting off an extra-large mouthful just to prove a point.

 “It’s your first day off in a while, don’t you have anything planned for this afternoon?”

 Nick’s brow furrowed and he glanced repeatedly between himself, the TV, and his sandwich before looking up to meet her gaze.

 “Sure.” He mumbled, crumbs spewing from his lips. “You’re looking at it…”

 “Wow. That’s…sad.”

 “Did you come home early just to annoy me, Jessica? Or is that an added bonus?” Nick narrowed his eyes.

 “It wasn’t my intention, but you just make it so easy.” She smiled sarcastically at him before walking to the kitchen and pouring herself a mug of coffee “I came home early because I have a ton of marking to do before my date tonight.”

 “Oh. Even better.” He muttered under his breath, picking up his beer to down what was left in a single mouthful.

 

…

…

 

Jess had taken up residence at the end of the couch, and although he was happy to be in her company, Nick was slightly aggrieved at having to share the living space earlier than planned. She’d repeatedly promised not to disturb him, but the loud, melodic humming regularly coming from her direction hadn’t gone unnoticed. Nick couldn’t stop looking at her every time she did it, watching her mouth intently, finding his gaze lowering to where the vibrations thrummed in her throat and drifting to linger on the dip where her neck met her collarbone. It was increasingly distracting, so he’d moved to the far side of the sofa and turned the TV up to drown her out. The muscles in his back and neck were becoming tight and uncomfortable now that he wasn’t lying prone on the cushions, and no amount of re-positioning was helping.

 Jess frowned as she noticed Nick fidgeting constantly, stretching his neck side to side and wincing for the third time in ten minutes. She played her lip through her teeth for a moment, then placed her pen and workbooks decisively to one side, turning her head to see him grimace in discomfort whilst squeezing the skin at the base of his skull beneath his fingers.

“You okay?” She asked.

 “Hmm?” He looked up, shaking his head slightly “Oh, yeah…it’s nothing.”

 “Doesn’t look like nothing – are you in pain? Seems like you’re in pain…”

 “I’m fine…” He insisted “…just hurt my neck a little doing the delivery yesterday. Must have pulled a muscle or something, I don’t know. No big deal.”

 Jess sighed and joined her hands together, flexing outwards so the joints cracked loudly.

 “Okay, come here.” She offered, pointing to a spot on the floor just in front of the couch.

 “What?”

 “Come…” Jess repeated, crossing her legs and moving forward “…sit down, and then thank me later.”

 “Seriously Jess, I’ll be fine.” Nick lied and shifted away from her slightly, his arms pushing into the couch and pressing his back firmly against the cushions “I don’t…”

 “ _SIT!_ ” She instructed, in her most forceful ‘teacher’ voice.

 Against his better judgement, Nick huffed in resignation and slid reluctantly to the floor, positioning himself stiffly in front of Jess. Her knees touched his shoulder blades softly as she leaned closer, and he could already feel his body temperature rising uncomfortably. He felt Jess place her hands on his shoulders and the warmth of her skin permeated the material of his t-shirt immediately. It was the most glorious torture he could put himself through.

 Jess giving the guys a neck massage was nothing unheard of in the loft, she’d done it for Schmidt and Winston in the past, however it had been quite some time since Nick had been the recipient. He had no doubt about the fact it wasn’t the most sensible thing to do, given where his mind was at these days – but his neck really _was_ hurting him, and she _had_ insisted.

 Her hands squeezed gently at his neck muscles, getting a feel for where the problem area was. She heard Nick suck in a hiss of air when she applied pressure on his left side.

 “Wow, you are just a mess of knots and tension Nicholas – no wonder you’re hurting.”

 A shiver skittered down the length of his spine as Jess’s thumbs pressed hard into the muscles beneath his skin. His eyes closed with a satisfied groan, breathing becoming slower and deeper with every slow sweep she made – the circular rhythm radiating across the tops of his shoulders sending him into some kind of hypnotic trance. With each movement of her fingertips, Nick felt his body relax a little more. The tightness in his muscles just melted away at her touch - which was poetic in its irony, given that she was the reason for all of his tension in the first place.

 Neither of them spoke as she concentrated on easing the pain from his body with her hands, the loft quiet save for the low background noise of the TV news channel.

 His mind started to wander, and he was so caught up in his own imaginings that Nick thought it was all in his mind when he felt Jess’s fingers edge under the collar of his t-shirt. The sensation of her skin resting directly on his was jarringly sexy. Her fingertips grazed once across his collarbone, and Nick felt like someone had set off a firework in his chest. He wanted so badly to allow his head to drop backward into her lap, but somehow he managed to retain a modicum of restraint over his actions.

Then, as quickly as her hands had dipped in to the front of his shirt, they were gone again - leaving Nick struggling to catch his breath because his body was practically begging for her to touch him like that again.

 Jess cleared her throat from behind him and he felt her shift away slightly as she dragged her hands upwards, her thumbs back to massaging the sides of his neck, pressing firmly into the muscles until suddenly hitting that sore spot he had begun to forget about. An excruciating pain shot through him, so intense that he jolted forwards.

 “Ow!” He yelped loudly, sitting upright with a sharp intake of breath.

 “Sorry!” She replied, removing both her hands at once.

 “What the _hell_ , Jess?” Nick span to face her “Why did you do that?!”

 “It was accidental - it wasn’t like I did it on _purpose…_ ” Jess frowned.

 “Dammit, now it hurts more than before. I _told_ you I didn’t want to do this!” Nick raised his voice, eyes darkening.

 “What has gotten into you, Nick? I already said I was sorry.”

 “Sure, because that makes it all okay…”

 “I was only trying to help, you jackass!”

 “Yeah? Well maybe you should have just kept your hands to yourself!”

 Jess reeled backwards like she’d been shoved, and Nick looked away as the mood in the loft noticeably shifted. A door was heard being flung open, Winston appearing in the hallway seconds later looking thoroughly pissed.

“Damn it, guys! What the hell are y’all yelling about? _Some_ of us are trying to nap!”

“Nothing…” Grunted Nick, standing up and repeatedly rubbing his sore neck.

“Yeah, it’s nothing…” Jess muttered, getting up quickly and walking towards the kitchen. Passing Winston, who was wearing nothing but his underpants, she shook her head in disdain “…and does **no-one** know how to get dressed in this damn apartment anymore?”

Winston shot Nick a warning look that required no words and quickly retreated to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Jess busied herself with boiling the kettle and opening cupboards until she found the chamomile tea, taking some deep breaths to calm herself down and stop the prickling heat of tears behind her eyes. 

Nick’s soft footsteps approached from the living area, coming to a stop somewhere near the kitchen island. Even from behind he could tell he’d upset her, her shoulders were rounded as she leant away from him, and he hated himself for it.

“I’m sorry, Jess…” His quiet apology reaching out to her like an olive branch “…you did nothing wrong.”

She refused to turn around, staying silent even as she heard him sigh sadly and tap his fingers gently against the counter.

“I was being a jerk…I’m just in a lot of pain, is all. But I shouldn’t have taken it out on you…I didn’t mean to make you feel bad, I hope you know that.”

Jess remained with her back to him until he finally disappeared down the hall and into the bathroom.

Only once Jess could hear the sound of the shower on full blast did she then reach for a mug, trying her hardest not to let her shaking hands knock it over as she poured the water over her teabag, wondering what the hell had just happened – and why it bothered her so much.

 

…

…

 


End file.
